


Tristan Tormented

by TSPking1994



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Comics 1998), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Buffy the Vampire Slayer References, Buffyverse - Freeform, Dark Horse Buffy the Vampire Slayer Comics, F/F, F/M, Gen, Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Multi, Other, Vampire Slayer(s), Vampires, Witches, angeltheseries, childofangel, childofbuffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26897254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TSPking1994/pseuds/TSPking1994
Summary: In the official follow up to my Buffy and Angel fanfic series “Twisted Tristan” Buffy and Angel consider killing their own child as Tristan is turned into a vampire by the devious Drusilla causing a rift between Buffy and the others over whether or not Buffy’s boy can find redemption after all the evil he’s committed and continues to do.“Tristan Tormented” proves that the son of the slayer Tristan only gets more twisted when he becomes a vampire like his father.
Relationships: Angel/Buffy Summers, Angel/Faith Lehane, Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Spike/Buffy Summers





	1. Volume 1: Before He Rises

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: I do not own the rights to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off series Angel, its dark horse comics continuation series, or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon and others in the Buffyverse.

Mandi found herself frantically running through the woods as the sun began to rise in the sky somewhere on the outskirts of New York City desperately searching for any sign of a corpse, the corpse in question being Buffy Summers’ son who had recently been killed by Drusilla.  
She knew that the rising sun would eventually set once again and if she did not get to Tristan Summers’ body in time then he would rise again as a vampire, a vampire they would have to kill and she wanted to spare Buffy of that heartbreak but as she continued to charge through the endless woods she began fearing she would never get to Tristan in time.  
Of course she was not alone in her search or in her despair as Spike was held up in an abandoned hospital nearby, having no choice but to stay in the shadows as the growing sun would turn him to ashes if he did not.  
Spike hoped with all of his undead heart that witch Mandi Jenkins would deal with Tristan before either Buffy or Angel had to deal with their undead child, knowing Buffy would never come back from killing her own son and fearing Angel would do anything to protect any form of the child that until recently he had no idea he had.

Drusilla had found herself a small cave within the woods to find shelter in and hide from the burning power of the sun after burying the child she had claimed as her own, not wanting to leave him alone but knowing her vampirism would only lead to her burning if she attempted to stand in the direct sunlight.  
She stood within the caves in a rare moment of not knowing for the psychedelic Drusilla as the sun was only beginning to set giving the slayers and their friends plenty of time to find where she had buried Tristan not knowing if she would get to the slayer’s son before they would, wondering if Tristan would be killed once more before he even had a chance to rise.

Willow sat next to Buffy as the two sat within the first class seating on an airplane heading straight for New York City fearing the worst possible outcome as she continued to stare at an emotionless Buffy who was at the window seat staring blankly into the sky, the two not sharing a single word since the redheaded witch was forced to tell her blonde haired best friend that she may have to slay her own son.  
“I am sick of the sacrifices,” Buffy announced, breaking the silence between herself and Willow as she turned to face her bewitching friend. “I am done with the heart wrenching surprises how the chaos always bleeds throughout my life how people I care about become body after body…all I ever wanted was to protect him from all this and now I have no idea what he is becoming.”  
“I know Buffy,” Willow replied as she reached out her hand and held her friend’s hand. “I really wish things did no turn out like this that we could have saved him but in a way we still can…”  
“I do not want to kill him Willow!” Buffy said as her voice began to break and tears began falling from her eyes.  
“Maybe we can try giving him a soul somehow? I mean it would not be the exact same spell as Angel’s but hey if Spike can get himself a soul then I can surely whip one up somehow for Tristan.” Willow suggested, hoping to find some last-minute fix to get themselves out of the dreadful situation they were heading straight for.  
“And then what everybody he kills until then is on us for not being able to stop it?” Buffy asked as tears continued to fall down the cheeks of her face. “I hate that I always have to choose between the world and who I love!”  
“Last time Angelus payed a visit Wesley, Fred, Gunn and a heavily possessed and pregnant Cordelia had him locked up in a cage maybe we can take a page out of their book and keep him locked up until we re-soul him.” Willow told Buffy before coming to a worrying realisation. “Although when Tristan had a soul and was human, he was killing people and attempting to kill you and Angel so even if we do get his soul back…”  
“He will just go straight back to trying to kill us all, there is already far too much blood on his hands, the vampirism with or without a soul will only help him to cause more pain and take more lives.” Buffy cried, knowing that there was no way out of what she had to do. “He is my son; I took him into this world and because I failed to protect him, I am going to have to be the one who takes him out of this world.”  
Willow wanted so badly to say something that would comfort Buffy or think of something that could stop her best friend from feeling the pain of losing her child but she knew as much as the slayer herself knew in that moment that there was no magical solution to their problem and that Tristan Summers had to die again, so instead of rambling more or trying to come up with solutions she already debunked in her mind she just continued to tighten her grip on Buffy’s hand, tighter and tighter, letting her know that whatever Buffy had to face she would never have to face any of it alone.

Faith and Angel had also found themselves on a different airplane heading to New York as Angel began his quest to find his son reminding him all too well of the troubles he faced with his firstborn son Connor but despite all the chaos that ensued with Angel and Connor, Connor had never lost his soul which gave Angel the undying hope for their relationship to be redeemed.  
Angel had only came face to face with his second son Tristan a hand full of times and each time it had resulted in his son trying to kill him, which was before he lost his soul and began his process into joining the undead population.   
The vampire with a soul wanted to mourn his son’s death, grieve the man he could have been or even learn to love the monster his son would become but all he could feel in that moment was rage, rage towards Buffy for never telling him about Tristan until it was too late, rage towards Willow for accidentally losing him within time and rage towards Faith for keeping their secrets from him.  
“This would never have happened if I was there to protect him!” Angel announced to Faith, ending the awkward silence between the strained friends.  
“You were not there, Angel…B, Willow and I tried everything to protect your kid, but the monsters just kept coming.” Faith replied, trying to justify her betrayal while knowing she could not. “I owed it to B to be there for her after everything!”  
“You owed it to Buffy?” Angel snapped at the redeemed slayer. “What about me? I always had your back and yes you had mine until you helped keep my son away from me.”  
“It was not supposed to happen like that Angel, Willow opened that portal to the past, but we were all meant to go through it. Nobody meant to take him from you or abandon him to be raised under Drusilla’s delusions but that is what went down and all I can say is I am sorry.” Faith explained, knowing it would not help their fractured friendship.  
“If I was there or if I had known where he had been sent…” Angel began to say. “It is just like Connor all over again only this time the craziest vampire in all of existence, the woman I tortured before turning has stepped in to play pseudo parent to my child. Holtz has nothing on her!”  
“I am not giving up on Tristan I saw something in him the moment I met him and vampire or not…” Faith declared, making it clear she had not giving up on Angel’s son just yet.  
“He is a god damn vampire!” Angel shouted at her, raising his voice so loud that the other passengers on the plane began to take notice. “There is no other way out of this that does not end with a stake in my son’s chest and that is because of you, Willow and Buffy!”  
Faith wanted to argue Angel’s fear away but she knew she could not, she wanted to apologize until Angel accepted it but she knew he would not and so she just shut her mouth and embraced the silence once more as they travelled to New York hoping to save Tristan just like she had hoped time and time again since that first day they met outside Tristan and his vampire ex Dante’s demonic dive bar but she knew the odds were few and far between and that if she did try to save Buffy and Angel’s son she may even have to go up against his parents to do so.

Daylight was at it always is limited, and just like that the sun rose and the sun set as Mandi found herself lost within the woods located somewhere near New York City but as darkness once again returned she was far from alone as somewhere in those very woods was Tristan’s slayer mother Buffy, his vampire father Angel, Faith, Spike and unfortunately for her Drusilla too.  
Mandi had spent all day searching for Tristan’s makeshift grave but had found nothing, she had tried spell after spell until she had exhausted herself and still nothing it was like Drusilla had seen all this coming which for once she did not but Drusilla had not lived as long as she did without knowing how to survive and those survival instincts had clearly extended to her soon to be rising son Tristan.  
Suddenly Mandi began to feel the hairs on her neck rise as she heard a loud crackling noise which sounded like somebody had just broken a tree branch forcing her to turn around and face the noise coming from behind her only to be left shocked to see Drusilla now standing in front of her in full vampire face.  
“Did you mother never tell you not to go into the woods at night?” Drusilla asked, sounding as sinister as she always did before letting out a haunting giggle.  
“Talking of mother’s, you sure turned out to be the worst one in history Dru.” Mandi snapped at the female vampire, trying to hide her fear behind her fury. “We came with you that day and it was the worst decision we ever did, following you has turned out to be a mistake for everyone involved.”  
“Now let us not exchange such harsh words not on the eve of my son coming back to me.” Drusilla replied. “Do not worry I have not forgot about you; you will be my baby boy’s first feed as a vampire!”  
“Figures you would want me dead; I mean you killed Tristan and then there’s Dante who let’s face it might not have been you, but it was certainly because of you.” Mandi told Drusilla, as she began to think of a spell to use against her.  
“No!” Drusilla repeated frantically as she tugged on her own hair manically. “Dante was supposed to be here…”  
As Drusilla continued to cry “No” frantically a quick thinking Mandi began chanting in a long forgotten language summoning a fireball between in the air between the witch and vampire just and just as Drusilla began to notice what she was doing the fireball launched its way towards Drusilla launching itself into her chest and sending Drusilla backwards into the dirt as Mandi quickly began running away from the vampire and further into the woods now only hoping to make it out of the woods alive.

Unlike Mandi who had searched before them to no result, Buffy and Willow did not search long within the woods before they had found the markings of a clearly makeshift grave that they knew had to be the place in which Tristan was buried, in fact they had found it too easily, so easily that they both felt as if someone or something wanted them to find Buffy’s son’s grave.  
Buffy wondered if it was a higher being helping to take out a potentially great evil or if Drusilla had cruelly planned for her to find Tristan to have to watch her son rise from the ground just to have to kill him as Willow wondered if her powers had grown so strong everything had become too easy for her or if somehow it was fate to find him before he rose but one thing both the slayer and the witch knew was that they had no choice but to kill Buffy’s boy.  
“I guess we all got here in time then.” Faith said with a clear look of dread on her face as her and Angel appeared from out of the woods in front of Buffy and Willow, walking towards them both until they stood on the other side of Tristan’s temporary grave. “Question is what do we do now we are all here?”  
“The thing we always do,” Buffy replied to Faith as she pulled out a wooden stake from her jacket pocket at the same time as Angel before the two parents shared a look of acceptance over what had to happen next.  
“Normally I am all up for staking a vamp, but this is not just any other vamp…we can find another way other than killing him.” Faith argued, hoping for them to come across to her way of thinking. “Sure, he was kind of crazy with a soul but we can make it work, I mean Angel’s the OG of making vampirism work so surely his son could pick up a trait or two from him.”  
“Things do not just work out like that Faith!” Buffy snapped at her, clearly exhausted with arguing over what had to be done.  
“Even if I did restore his soul it would not make him any less…” Willow began to say.  
“Evil?” Faith interrupted furiously. “At some point in time we have all done some pretty messed up shit that would declare us evil but that does not mean he cannot be saved! I say we shove a soul back in the guy and then get him straight to therapy.”  
“Faith, just stop!” Angel demanded, having heard enough. “We came here to end him not to save him…that time has passed.”  
“Angelus was always much better at condemning rather than saving, weren’t you?” Drusilla said as she creepily appeared as if out of nowhere. “I had hope to get my boy a snack first, but I suppose any of you will do if not all of you.”  
“Try me!” Buffy threatened as she marched towards the vampire that had claimed her son. “You could not take me on my worst day and after what you’ve done I am going to show you a whole new kind of torture that makes what Angel did to you look like child’s play.”  
“I’m not alone though,” Drusilla giggled before turning to look directly at Faith. “I’m not his only protector here! In fact, I hear another coming as we speak.”  
“What the hell are you talking about Dru?” Angel snapped before turning to look at Faith, only for her to punch him in the face.  
Faith then pursued to kick and punch Angel multiple times before getting his head into an armlock, snapping his neck, and throwing the vampire to the ground.  
“Faith this is not the time to go back to team evil!” Buffy shouted as she turned to face the brunette slayer.  
“I am sorry B, but I cannot let you or Angel kill your child,” Faith replied as Willow began chanting in a long dead language.  
Drusilla quickly punched Buffy who turned around with speed to catch the vampire’s fist in her hand, twisting Dru’s hand and snapping her arm in the process before she kicked the vampire to the ground as Willow’s chanting caused Faith to go flying into a nearby tree, magically pinning her there, making Faith unable to move.  
“I am going to enjoy finally getting to kill you!” Buffy revealed to Drusilla as she hovered above the menacing vampire, too fixed on Drusilla to notice a hand rising from out of Tristan’s grave.  
“Buffy!” Faith screamed while still pinned to the tree. “You cannot kill your child you cannot come back from something like that!”  
“She has no choice Faith!” Willow snapped at her before seeing before her own eyes Tristan pulling himself out of his narrow temporary grave. “I have no choice…”  
Willow suddenly felt a piercing pain coming from the back of her head, forcing her to fall to the ground as Buffy and Faith noticed Mandi standing where Willow once stood holding a brick that she quickly threw to the ground.  
“Mandi!” Faith said in shock, forgetting for a moment she had left Spike and Mandi out here in the woods, as Faith felt the magic holding her back disappear as Willow lost consciousness on the ground.  
Buffy quickly charged at Mandi, jumping at the witch and forcing her to the ground before delivering a killer punch while on top of her, knocking the witch out instantly as Faith began cautiously walking towards Tristan and Drusilla quickly rose to her feet.  
“I guess this results in a classic Buffy and Faith fight.” Faith said to Buffy as Buffy rose to her feet, looking at both Faith and Drusilla.  
“Now, do not be forgetting about me.” Spike said as he appeared from out of the woods to see Tristan stood above his grave, covered in dirt, and directly staring at him with confusion. “Guess we have a vampire to kill Buffy.”  
“Kill Drusilla like we came here to do!” Faith shouted at Spike. “We can still save him Spike.”  
Spike looked over to Buffy as he noticed the look on her face which told him that they were to kill Tristan does not save him as Faith realized the only ally she had in this fight was the deranged Drusilla.  
“Mum.” Tristan said in an almost childlike voice, breaking his own silence since his ressurection, the word mum tugging on Buffy’s heartstrings as she felt her heart begin to break.  
“I am right here my darling boy!” Drusilla replied to him as Tristan glanced over Spike and Buffy and turned to face Drusilla.


	2. Volume 2 The Monster and The Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tristan Summers is now apart of the undead but what exactly does that mean for a man already so twisted?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I do not own the rights to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off series Angel, its dark horse comics continuation series, or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon and others in the Buffyverse.  
> 15 years +, Mild to Strong Violence, Sexual References  
> F/F, F/M, M/M, Other +

Tristan Summers’ life before death was far from normalcy but you would expect as much from a child born of the slayer who changed everything and the brooding vampire with a soul and that’s without the fact he spent his teenage years under the deranged supervision of vampire Drusilla and fell in love with her prodigy and fellow vampire Dante.  
Before death he had been thrown into a past where he did not even exist yet, found the bodies of the parents who raised and love him and was twisted into feeling little but hate under Drusilla’s supervision, a hatred which quickly became targeted not only towards his birth mother Buffy Summers but to all slayers.  
Before his death he had become a slayer himself by once again travelling into the past only to use his increased power to kill slayer after slayer never backing down on his mission which led to him watching his undead love Dante and before his death he found himself sacrificing himself for an old friend only to be killed by his pseudo mother Drusilla.  
Before Tristan’s death he had went from being a seemingly normal teenager to a deranged killer and then a twisted vampire slayer but never did he expect to one day die and come back as the very monster he had once found comfort in, forced to face the possibility forever in a world without his true love.  
This is not the story of before twisted Tristan rose, that story has already been told, this is the story of after the son of the slayer and vampire rose from his grave forcing him on a pathway towards his true fate.

After climbing out of his own narrow grave a disorientated Tristan quickly rose from beneath the dirt until he was now standing above the ground to find a scene he almost as unexpected as his newfound vampirism as he looked around to see Willow, Angel and Mandi all lying unconscious spread across the dirt while fellow allies Faith and Buffy looked like enemies set to kill the other.  
“Mum.” Tristan uttered in almost a childlike voice, his first words since his ressurection, words directed at Buffy, the woman he knew to be his biological mother.  
“I am right here my darling boy!” Drusilla replied as Tristan slowly turned around, shocked to see the vampire he had once loved like a mother stood next to her former lover Spike, confused to why everyone was in the woods with him and why everything suddenly felt so different. “Mummy will always be here for you my beautiful creature.”  
Memories of how he died at Drusilla’s hands began to flood back into Tristan’s mind as he once again glared around the woods focusing on an unconscious Mandi, remembering he had died trying to save the witch he was once friends with as he turned to face Buffy and Faith once again, noticing their shock to him standing in front of him.  
“What is happening?” He asked while deep down already knowing the answer. “I am a vampire?”  
“Yes!” Buffy reluctantly answered her son, speaking for the first time since witnessing him climb out of his own makeshift grave, unable to say anything more as she felt the pain of losing him all over again.  
Tristan’s confusion was quickly replaced by his undeniable anger which in that moment was targeted towards Drusilla as he raced towards the vampire and punched her across the face, forcing her to fall to the ground by the force of his punch.  
“What did you do to me?” He yelled furiously, shocking all by his reaction to now being a vampire.  
“You were growing too soft I could see me losing you and I had to act!” Drusilla admitted to him as she slowly began rising back to her feet. “You forgave the ones who wronged you and undid all our work…so I made you strong again.”  
“I never wanted this!” Tristan replied as he felt his face turn into full vampire mode, his words piercing the hearts to all who were able to hear them, including the undead hearts of Drusilla and Spike. “Not without him!”  
“You still love that vampire?” Spike said, realizing Tristan was like him during his newly vampire stage in the sense he still had a lot of the same feelings he had before no longer being human. “You do not have to be like Dru, she’s the bitch who wronged you not us, we can help you kid, I promise!”  
“Naughty Spike,” Drusilla scolded her former lover in a mocking tone before locking eyes with a confused and troubled Tristan, making her play to convince him he was all she cared about. “All the amazing things we did together Spike and you wronged me just like Angel…Tristan would never wrong his mother.”  
“I am his mother!” Buffy screamed at Drusilla, shocking Tristan by her race to claim him as her own.  
Tristan stared at the blonde haired slayer confused to why she was so eager to admit being the mother of him, wondering for a moment if he could ever accept her in the same way before letting that notion leave his mind as he quickly began running through the woods, gaining momentum before disappearing from them all as he continued deeper and deeper into the woods.  
“Well his birth still turned out to be better than his great-grandmother’s.” Drusilla cackled as she noticed Spike stare at her with hatred in his eyes, delighting herself in his anger towards him while Buffy and Faith chose to run after the newly risen vampire Drusilla considered her child. “He is not hers; he is mine!”  
Everyone did manage to escape from those woods alive that night and most of them were unharmed but one person who did not leave those woods alive was Tristan and although none of them knew it just yet his newfound vampirism would change everything forever.

Normally when a vampire is turned the demon inside of the former human takes over control of the being and thereby creating something which is mostly demon while characteristic traits of the human before still remains, lingering between the demon and the human before is the vampire and someone who knew this well was Tristan.  
He attempted to adjust to being a vampire by claiming more and more bodies than before but instead of just torturing and murdering his victims like when he was considered human he now fed on them too and that newfound hunger was all he had come to believe had changed with himself after his death.  
Tristan could no longer walk in the daylight nor could he survive without ingesting blood but despite these changes the son of the slayer felt no different now than to the way he was before his death which did not relieve him but instead infuriated the twisted man.   
The emotions that plagued him when he was alive were still there and the anger that consumed him remained making him conclude that he was a monster long before he became a vampire.  
“I never understood that in a world where vampires and slayers are now common knowledge why foolish humans still walk alone at night.” Tristan said as he stepped out of the shadows and into a dark alleyway which was located somewhere with New York, only to be left surprised to realize it was none other than his first love Lucas Brown standing in front of him. “Lucas…”  
“Because the knowledge of such things makes certain humans want to better the world instead of making it worse.” Lucas replied while trying to hide the fact that the presence of Tristan had left him feeling unnerved.  
“I heard about you playing soldier boy with the big wigs, but I had no idea it would look so good on you.” Tristan said sinisterly while beginning to walk closer and closer towards his latest prey. “It has been so long since I killed somebody I knew, and I have a feeling you are going to taste really nice.”  
“Mandi seems to be under the illusion you can be saved but the operative believe you need to be ended once and for all.” Lucas informed his former flame as Tristan grew closer and closer to him.  
“Please you couldn’t give it to me on your best night.” Tristan taunted Lucas, before Lucas launched his right fist in Tristan’s direction only for Tristan to catch Lucas’ fist in his hand and begin crushing it with his super strength causing his former lover to let out a series of screams and groans from his pain as Tristan listened to the sound of bones within Lucas’ hand breaking by his might. “Am I as good as Mandi?”  
Tristan wasted no time in pulling Lucas’ body towards his own, grabbing him with a force that Lucas could not free himself from as Tristan transitioned into his vampire form and sunk his teeth into Lucas’ neck tasting his ex’s blood with pleasure before he suddenly felt an excruciating amount of pain cursing throughout his body making him drop Lucas to the ground as he was now the one screaming in pain but not for long as he began to feel his eyes close and everything faded to black.  
Lucas Brown’s plan to lure and trap Tristan Summers had succeeded, surprising all involved that Tristan had fell for the ruse so easily. Lucas had planned for Tristan to attack him and to use that particular moment to have his colleagues electrocute the vampire with high velocity using military style weapons to injure and capture the son of Buffy and Angel, his colleagues making sure to not be seen and hide within the building next to Lucas and Tristan.

Lucas Brown remembered the days when he was a young teenager believing nothing could possibly get anymore complicated than it already was as he struggled to come to terms with enjoying the pleasure of both men and women back when impressing his father was all that mattered to him until he meet Tristan Black.  
He also remembered the last time he had saw Tristan before he disappeared from their hometown of Riverborn along with his friend Mandi and how the town spread rumor's claiming the two of them were responsible for the death of Tristan’s adoptive parents, a rumor Lucas had never believed and found himself determined to prove wrong.  
The supernatural world had come as no surprise to him given the fact the government had made their ill-advised cautiousness to Buffy Summers and her allies a little to well known but Lucas kept as far away from that world as possible until the hopes of being reunited with Tristan pushed him to explore.  
Lucas remembered when he learned Mandi had returned to Riverborn and how much she had changed as well as himself as he now worked for a secret organization run by Riley Finn and he remember being told of how Tristan had been twisted into a monster by the vampire Drusilla, realizing Tristan Black as he knew him was now dead.  
Lucas never meant to fall in love with Mandi but fall in love he most certainly did as their shared grief over a man they both once love found them seeking comfort in each other before that comfort turned to love and a relationship between soldier and witch was formed.  
Tristan Black inspired him to become a soldier and fight the good fight but Tristan Summers as he now went by had inspired him to stop anyone from ever suffering a similar twisted and tragic fate as his former love.  
“When my eyes shut, I thought they would not open again but I guess you have other plans for me, whatever those being are the reason you have already failed.” A chained-up Tristan proclaimed after waking up to find his arms and legs chained as he and Lucas now sat in the back of a moving truck.  
“You had the opportunity to kill me not too long ago and yet you chose to spare me.” Lucas replied to him from across the other side of the truck making Tristan smile because of the soldier’s curiosity.  
“Clearly I made a wrong call by letting you live,” Tristan stated, while tugging on the chains which were wrapped around his arms and legs. “Just like the mistake you made by not killing me when you had the chance.”  
“You won’t be able to break free from those chains their particularly designed for people such as yourself, using the term people very loosely of course.” Lucas revealed to him, openly choosing to ignore the threats of his ex-boyfriend.  
“Whose driving this vehicle? Do not tell me poor old Mandi is still running some idiotic mission to save my literally non-existent soul.” Tristan wondered, as he took in his newfound scenery, plotting his next move.  
“Mandi knows nothing about this mission just that I have been sent on one.” Lucas admitted to him. “She does not need to know what my bosses want with you or what they intend to do to you.”  
“Really? And what exactly do your bosses have planned for me?” Tristan quizzed him, curious of what Lucas intended to do with him, plans he knew he was going to ruin.  
“I will tell you if you tell me why you never killed me that day.” Lucas replied to him, curious to know if there was any man left within the monster sitting across from him.  
“I wanted to make Mandi pay for betraying me and going back to hear dreary life in Riverborn so I thought why not let you live, knowing you were nothing more than a vacuous man incapable of truly loving anyone.” Tristan lied, lying not only to Lucas but to himself. “Killing you would’ve been a relief to her in the long run.”  
“I do not believe you!” Lucas stated with certainty, knowing as much as Tristan did that the words Tristan had just spoken were a lie. “I know things have changed a lot since that day, that you are no longer him, but you have memories of him and I need to know the truth to why Tristan spared my life.”  
“I will consider digging deep into my murderous and murky mind to give you a truth but only after you tell me what your bosses want to do with me.” Tristan challenged him, knowing Lucas believed becoming a vampire had changed him and attempting to change how little it had.  
“The boss Riley Finn wants you eliminated and he wants to spear Buffy of having to be the one who does the deed you see he used to be rather close with your dear old mother and I was quick to agree to this mission because I do not want Mandi to have to kill her best friend either.” Lucas admitted honestly. “You are special Tristan and because of the special qualities you possess we intend to research you for some time but once that time has ended, we will kill you without hesitation.”  
“Lucky old me getting to be a guinea pig to a group of jackasses dressed like 007 wannabes.” Tristan responded before shocking Lucas by breaking free of his chains with far too much ease, not allowing Lucas a chance to react before charging over towards him and grabbing Lucas’ neck by his bare hands, lifting his body into the air while continuing to tighten his chokehold.  
“You are not supposed to be able to break free of those chains!” Lucas said with pure terror in his eyes, as he struggled to breathe while Tristan continued to choke him.  
“Question time is over lover boy but before I kill you, I’ll answer one for the sake of our shared history. You and Mandi were the last threads to my humanity, and I was not ready to cut those threads.” Tristan revealed to Lucas before applying more and more pressure onto his neck, as he watched Lucas’ life leave his body while hearing his first love’s neck breaking. “I’m ready now!”  
Tristan dropped Lucas body onto the floor of the truck and wasted no time breaking out of his moving prison, breaking out from the truck doors while the truck was still moving and throwing himself onto the road with force as he reclaimed his freedom once more knowing that he had to use his freedom to take care of his past once and for all, believing that would truly rid all signs of the man within the monster.


	3. Volume 3 Able Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shock revelations about Tristan's fate are made as Faith and Spike are the first two to begin to save the slayer turned vampire's soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfiction Series to “Buffy the vampire Slayer” series, “Angel” series and the Buffyverse continuation in the “Dark Horse Comics” series.  
> Warning: I do not own the rights to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off series Angel, its dark horse comics continuation series, or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon and others in the Buffyverse.  
> 15 years +, Mild to Strong Violence, Sexual References  
> F/F, F/M, M/M, Other +

Vampire Tristan Summers had a mission on his mind and he was not going to stop until he achieved said mission, the mission being destroying anyone who could remotely bring out the man inside his monster and although the list was not long it was still a hefty task after all he had almost died several times before when trying to take out some of them and did die with one of them.

Angel was never meant to be a father mostly due to his undead status so when he did father his first child Connor he found himself feeling an unconditional love like no other only to lose him to another world and although over the years they had made major progress their bond was still nowhere near as great as Angel hoped it would be and now he was facing all that pain again with Tristan Summers only this time it was worse because sooner or later Angel’s second son would have to be stopped and his biggest fear had become the idea that he might just have to be the one that does the stopping.  
“You have to forgive me someday Angel,” Faith told him as she walked through the front doors of the abandoned looking Hyperion Hotel, chasing after her vampire friend, pleading with him to forgive her for past mistakes.  
“This is not just some mistake Faith; you kept my son from me and then you stopped me from killing him so now he is out there killing people and that is on you!” Angel argued.  
“He was killing people long before he was a vamp and if we give up on him now, he will be long after.” Faith replied, eager to make Angel side with her on her quest to save Tristan’s soul. “He was coming off less evil not a lot less evil but still less and I just know if we get Willow to ram a soul down his throat or however that goes then you may finally get to have some kind of relationship with him.”  
“Do not think I do not want to be a father to him, of course I do but you and Buffy made it impossible and now the next time I see him I am going to have to kill him!” Angel admitted to the redeemed slayer. “He has no soul and even when he did, he was evil.”  
“We both took walks on the dark side and we had each other’s backs why can’t we have his too?” Faith asked him, reminding them both of their dark pasts.  
“It’s not as black and white as that.” Angel reluctantly replied, once again facing the fact he may have to kill his own child.  
“Then let us dive straight into the grey and save your son.” Faith responded, making her determination clear to Angel.  
“On this particularly rare occasion I happen to agree with Faith.” Giles announced as he walked through the front doors shocking both Angel and Faith by his presence. “After my failed attempt to rehabilitate him I have been working hard to find a way to make things right.”  
“Failed attempt?” Faith scoffed at the former watcher, “That is like me saying oops my stake slipped when I killed a guy, somehow I do not think that response would have went down that well, nor is yours.”  
“It would have been more believable than trying to pin the crime on Buffy.” Giles replied to the troubled slayer. “Look I am here to make things right!”  
“Trust me when I say your nowhere near the top of the list of people who need to make things right for me, even if you did almost kill my son, Dru actually did so she’s ahead of you in that department.” Angel explained to Giles, making it clear no ill will was held between the two of them.  
“Thank you, Angel,” Giles responded to the vampire with a soul before walking over to him and Faith. “I’ve been referring with some old friends about the impossibility of Tristan Summers as well as doing some digging on my own and the information I have found was…well rather astonishing really! The boy really is one of a kind.”  
“Something tells me this is going to be one big watcher talk when I would rather just be out there doing what needs done.” Faith chimed in, making it clear she wanted Giles to get his point across quickly.  
“I stumbled upon a prophecy of a human who was born of both vampire and slayer origins yet somehow remained human and as I continued to read the text in which is was written it only grew more fascinating. The prophecy spoke of the human becoming a slayer by his own means, then later a vampire by another’s hands and yes I know that already sums up what has happened but it was the next part that really blew my mind, so to speak.” Giles informed them both. “You see it said the boy would change before becoming a slayer in his own right but he would not change after becoming a vampire, it spoke of how all that was remained unlike any vampire before him and how it would lead to the beginning of the demonic slayer…a being possible of both great things and terrible evils but a being needed in an upcoming apocalypse nonetheless.”  
Angel and Faith remained stood in shock by Giles’ revelation that Tristan was still the man he was before a monster and while that idea did not surprise Faith entirely due to her strong belief in the rogue slayer turned vampire it did surprise her hearing it was possible for Tristan to do some good, as Angel remained shocked by every word, knowing Giles would not lie to them but not wanting to admit there was hope for his son until he saw it for himself, having lost his sons one too many times before.

After throwing his latest victim’s body to the ground, having drained the woman completely of her blood, a full vamp face Tristan wiped the blood off his face before return to his human form which was when he realized the alleyway he had found himself was very familiar to him being too hungry and focused on the hunt before too realise where he was going but now he was fed and his victim was dead he realized his hunt had taken him home.  
Memories of his beloved Dante began charging through his mind as he felt all the pain of losing him once more while continuing to walk down the alleyway until Tristan stopped outside of the boarded up building he and Dante once called their home, the deadly demonic dive bar where he had last experienced any kind of happiness with his now fully dusted vampire lover.  
Tristan could swear just by standing outside the building itself that he could smell Dante but he knew that was his mind playing tricks on him, wanting to undo what could not be undone but still feeling Dante once more was what he needed in that moment as he began tearing down the planks of wood boarding up the door to his home before kicking the door open and walking in.  
“Did he know about Drusilla?” He wondered about Dante as he stood in the middle of the barely standing demonic dive bar, once again taking in the ruins of what used to be. “Did he help kill my parents? No, he would not do that to me…he loved me…but he did not love me then.”  
He had never doubted Dante’s love for him for one second and felt bad for doubting it now he was gone but with Drusilla having lied to him all these years he couldn’t help but wonder if any of his time spent with Dante was true or was he playing a role just like his sire Drusilla.  
“Did anybody ever really love me?” He asked himself, fearing the answer was no. “Could anybody really love a monster like me?”  
Tristan quickly realized he was not alone to his thoughts when he heard footsteps coming from the front door and like a knee jerk reaction he quickly picked up a piece of broken wood from the ground ready to slay whoever dared come into his home only to be left completely stunned when none other than Spike walked in.  
“I guess you never got far from those woods, but I guess why would you when this place was your home.” Spike said as he held his hands up to show he had no weapons and had no plans to fight Tristan, “I only want to talk to you kid.”  
“Why would I want to talk to my mother’s pet?” Tristan asked his fellow vampire, while clutching the wooden stake in his hand tighter. “You see I do not feel like talking but I am always down for killing.”  
“I want to help you and I know somewhere in there you want to be helped.” Spike told him.  
“You really are desperate to get Buffy to look at you again.” Tristan laughed cruelly, amused by Spike’s words. “Hate to break it to you but me bad you good we do not talk we just fight to the death.”  
“The hatred you had for Drusilla remained after turning didn’t it? And that hatred comes from a place of love, the love you had for your adoptive parents, the love I am going to guess you still have for them?” Spike questioned the slayer turned vampire, already knowing he was right.  
“Wow, of all the pep talkers I did not take you for one but then again you are Buffy’s pet after all.” Tristan replied, eager to antagonize Spike. “I barely had feelings when I was alive and I sure as hell do not have any now.”  
“Would you stop with the bloody pet talk?” Spike groaned as he walked closer to Tristan.  
“If you stop calling me kid,” Tristan responded before throwing a right punch across Spike’s face. “because this kid has gone pro now!”  
Spike wasted no time in replying to Tristan’s violence with some more violence as he punched the former slayer across the face leading to Tristan headbutting Spike in the face before kicking him to the ground.  
“I guess the slayer strength stuck around after death.” Spike replied as he quickly rose back on his feet, before his face turned into full vamp mode and he charged towards Tristan ready for a brutal fight with the son of the woman he loved.

Meanwhile back in Los Angeles, Angel sat behind his desk within his office at the Hyperion Hotel reading from the books that Giles, fact checking what Giles had already informed of about his son Tristan, realizing that his son did somehow still have his soul despite becoming undead making Tristan more like his father than Angel ever expected him to be.  
He must have re-read the text within those ancient and mystical books a hundred times not believing the truth to what he was reading as he struggled to come to terms with not only his sons seemingly indestructible soul but the importance he would have in an upcoming apocalypse, not even wanting to think about the likelihood of Tristan being on the team of evil rather than good.  
“You know you can keep reading it forever and it is not going to change, trust me I read it about a million times before I even began to consider it being true.” Giles told Angel as he walked into the vampire’s office. “Then went the excruciating research, the endless pleading of former colleagues to decipher it differently or at the very least some definition of whether he was fighting for good or evil.”  
“I get the demonic part of being a slayer I mean I feel the demon inside of me every day but I do not understand how it is even possible for him to still have a soul.” Angel answered as he closed the books and stood up to stand face to face with Giles.  
“You are a vampire with a soul the very definition of impossible clearly your son takes after you in that sense. I cannot begin to try and explain how he is possible let alone how his soul is still intact, but I do believe this means there’s something inside of your son that is salvageable.” Giles attempted to explain, revealing his newfound optimism towards helping Tristan find redemption.  
“Why not go straight to Buffy?” Angel wondered, “I am glad you came to me with this but why not her?”  
“I am not exactly on speaking terms with Buffy or Willow for a matter of fact after almost killing your child, besides I truly believe if it comes past the point of redemption that you will do what you have to do…so would Buffy of course but I would rather spare her from that pain.” Giles admitted to the dark-haired vampire.  
“I guess this means it is time for a father son reunion.” Angel declared, terrified to how this intervention for his second child would end, hoping beyond hope it would not end in him having to kill his son.  
“Count me in!” Faith chimed in as she walked into the room, making it clear she was eavesdropping the entire time and she was more than eager to take part in another round of team twisted.  
Giles had convinced Angel that his claims were real and even convinced him to take part in his redemption rescue mission but one person who never needed any convincing was Faith who had been backing Tristan from the beginning despite his endless evil deeds.  
A part of Faith connected with Tristan or at least her former self anyway, a part of her that was still in there deep down but had been controlled for a long time now and she believed she could help the slayer turned vampire into controlling his dark side too.  
Faith Lehane was never the saving souls type until she found her own saved and although she did not make a case of going out on a limb for most if any people she was determined to get Tristan Summers on the right side, partly because of seeing herself in him, partly to do something good for Buffy to make up for all the bad and to make up for straining her relationship with Angel.  
The funny thing about the path to redemption is the person seeking it for themselves tend to pick up a lot of others along the way, believing deep down that if they can help as many people as possible down that path then they would ultimately be helping themselves too.

“Yeah funny thing about Tristan…let me just say I have him secured already!” Spike said down the phone to Faith while standing in Tristan’s former demonic bar, bloody and bruised from his fight with the demonic slayer which he had eventually grown the upper hand in as a passed out Tristan lay on the floor beneath Spike’s feet.


	4. Volume 4 Trusting Tristan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tristan finds himself haunted by ghosts of the Buffyverse's past as he continues to struggle to come to terms with who he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I do not own the rights to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off series Angel, its dark horse comics continuation series, or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon and others in the Buffyverse.  
> 15 years +, Mild to Strong Violence, Sexual References  
> F/F, F/M, M/M, Other +

“Dante?” Tristan asked a man like shadow figure within the corner of a basement with hope in his undead heart as he woke up to find himself on a single prison like bed locked up in a cage within a basement, knowing it could not be his dead lover but somehow feeling it was not out of the realm of possibility for some reason.  
“Actually, I am Joyce Summers your mother’s mother which makes me your grandmother.” Joyce replied as she stepped out of the shadows and began walking towards her grandson’s cage door. “I can tell you really loved him; I am sorry you had to go through the pain of losing him.”  
“Are you not supposed to be dead?” Tristan wondered, as he began to think he was either losing his mind or seeing a ghost, either of which was perfectly plausible.  
“Yes, I am,” Joyce laughed off innocently, “but then again so are you!”  
“You got me there,” Tristan responded with a reluctant smirk on his face.  
“You have a beautiful smile when you allow yourself too but then again, I guess you have not had many opportunities to smile.” Joyce informed her grandchild making him uncomfortable with her compliment.  
“Is this hell?” Tristan asked his grandmother but before she had a chance to answer she had disappeared within the blink of an eye and it was now Rupert Giles who stood in front of him, cleaning his glasses with a handkerchief.  
“No this is not hell Mr. Summers although I have been told on numerous occasions that Los Angeles is as close to hell as it gets.” Giles answered as he put his glasses back on and slipped his handkerchief back into his pocket, meanwhile Tristan tried to understand what exactly was happening around him.  
“Have we not been here before Giles?” Tristan questioned the former watcher as he began to think seeing Joyce was nothing more than a trick of the mind.  
“Yes, well I made a rather mess of things then and this is my chance to make right.” Giles replied after finishing cleaning his glasses and putting them back on. “Your recent transition into vampirism has not been what you expected has it?”  
Tristan’s interest was immediately peaked not only was this his first visit since waking up in a cage following days of being drugged asleep after losing a fight against Spike but Giles had touched upon the topic of his vampirism and how it had not been as expected which he knew all too well.   
Although he was not going to admit this to the former watcher but instead stay silent and see how the conversation turned out, hoping for some information about his current state or at the least a chance to tease Giles once again before working out how to escape his latest prison.  
“Yes, I did conclude that you admitting to having a soul would be tiresome even before you became a vampire.” Giles responded to Tristan’s silence. “I have something of an answer to your recent complications although I am awaiting more information…”  
“Unless this is going to end with your joining me in this cage for a good old rattle I am not interested, soul or no soul that shit does not phase me. I am not Angel!” Tristan interrupted him, wanting to know what Giles knew but refusing to let him know he was remotely interested.  
“You are his son though and Buffy’s which means you cannot be entirely evil it is not possible for none of their goodness to be inside of you, your parents have saved the world time and time again and continue to do so and yet so far all I can see you care about is sex, murder and blood.” Giles told him, making it clear he was not convinced by Tristan’s words whatsoever. “Although that is not entirely true there are people you do care for, they are just not with us, anymore are they?”  
Tristan once again answered with his silence as he tried to look as emotionless as possible refusing to show Giles any sign of the grief he still felt for the loss of his adoptive parents and his recently departed vampire boyfriend.  
“Give it up G, this one is a hard nut to crack but lucky for us all so am I.” Faith declared as she walked down the stairs to the basement.  
“Well if it is not the rogue slayer who turned out to be a loss less bride of chucky and a lot more bride of Buffy.” Tristan retorted with a sinister smirk, almost looking pleased to see the slayer.  
“I am going to take that as you missed me!” Faith replied with great sarcasm as she walked over to stand by Giles before turning her attention to the former watcher.   
“Actually, there was a lot more I had to discuss with Tristan.” Giles answered Faith, only for Tristan to mock him with a loud fake yawning sound as he rolled his eyes.  
“I say we just let him out the cage and force him to see things for himself.” Faith suggested to Giles, instantly shocking Tristan who could not believe she would set him free and it was in that moment Tristan realized none of what he had just experienced existed.  
This was not the real world to that Tristan knew with certainty but what he did not know was whether this was a dream, nightmare, vision quest or hell dimension all he did know was he would have to play it out to find his answers.  
“Yeah let me out already, I promise to behave.” Tristan lied to Giles and Faith, before Faith all too eagerly opened the now suddenly unlocked cage door. “I am ready to see whatever wants to be seen.”  
He did not know why he had been plucked from the real world nor how long he would be here wherever he was but he knew he wanted to get some answers and so he decided to play along, not realizing the answers he would get by doing so would be the kind that he may not necessarily want to know.

Tristan walked out of the basement and straight into the 1950s or at least that was the theme of the atmosphere around him as he walked into the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel knowing that this hotel was the base of his father’s operations but also knowing this had to be years in the past due to the hotel looking five star worthy instead of rundown ruins.  
He took in the elegant style of the residents within the hotel, the whispers of conversations they were having and the general happy vibe that only convinced him more he was in hell as he walked over to the reception area where he was met by a beautiful brown haired receptionist with a transcending smile spread across her face.  
“You must be the boss’ son, you’re a lot more psychotic than the last one and considering he was raised in hell by a wacko hunter intent on raising him to kill his father that is sure saying something.” Cordelia Chase greeted him as she stood up to face Angel’s second son. “Still you’re not as bad Angelus so I guess that is something.”  
“I’m guessing if I made a run for the front doors it will not lead me to anywhere or it will lead me to somewhere worse than the 50s.” Tristan responded to her.  
“I do not mind the 50s there are far worse eras believe me!” Cordelia replied before picking up a set of keys from her desk. “I reckon if I was born in this era, I’d totally killed the acting game but hey ho I guess settling for being a higher being will just have to do.”  
“You are Cordelia Chase; I have heard about you and despite the whole wacko demon possession pregnancy saga I like your rise from rich princess to broke but brave queen.” Tristan admitted, “I was told stories about Angel, Buffy and the lot of you for years…you were my favorite character but I am guessing that is largely due to the fact Drusilla worked so hard on making me hate my parents that if anyone was going to be my favorite it was either going to be you and Faith and considering that bitch helped kill my boyfriend I am sure not a fan in real life!”  
“Do you know I was never much of a fan of her either but hey she helped my guy when I couldn’t, and I’ll always owe her for that.” Cordelia revealed as she handed over the keys to Tristan who reluctantly took them from her.  
“I guess I am checking into this room?” Tristan questioned the higher being, already knowing the answer.  
“Yes he is waiting for you oh and just a little word of advice from a former demon to a current demon you just got to trust Tristan through all this the complicated part being which Tristan to trust but I guess that is up to you.” Cordelia cryptically informed him, making Tristan more confused than ever as he began walking towards the stairs, wondering who was in the room he was currently heading towards.  
He had already met two ghosts; one from his mother’s past and one from his father’s, so he began to wonder if the third ghost would be from his past, that’s if the person in the room was even a ghost, a ghost being a better option than someone of the living considering all the people Tristan truly cared for were all dead, well almost all of them.

“I’ve been expecting you,” The Master said upon opening his hotel room door to Tristan who reluctantly walked in, knowing who The Master was by his appearance alone, The Master only having his vampire form and wearing clothes far older than the current 1950’s which Tristan had found himself trapped in. “You look more like Angelus than the slayer, which is kind of disappointing, Angelus was a true beast do not get me wrong, but your mother was the only one to ever best me. I long for a reunion with her, merely so I can kill her once again only this time I would make sure that death took.”  
“Her second death held a lot longer than the one at your hands so I guess master of vampires does not hold up to a goddess from a hell dimension but then again are you really a master when Dru did more of a number on Buffy than you ever did.” Tristan replied, mocking the master. “Now why the hell are you here considering I have never met you?”  
“Your attitude is beyond ratchet and you somehow believe your invincible despite being beaten time and time again…I like you.” The Master told the newbie vampire. “I may not have been alive while you were but the demon inside of you is the same demon inside of me…I am the sire of Darla, the grand-sire of Angelus and the great-grandsire of Drusilla which means you come from me.”  
“Yeah Drusilla told me all about the undead bloodline a long time ago but what the hell has that got to do with me being stuck in the 50s with a bunch of ghosts from my parent’s past?” Tristan complained, clearly growing sick of whatever was going on around him.  
“Well duh it’s a quest you see, their trying to make you choose a path, desperately hoping you’ll choose the righteous one instead of well the one you’re on now.” Anya chimed in as Tristan turned around to see her now standing at the opened doorway of The Master’s hotel room, only for Tristan to turn back around to see The Master had vanished out of sight, as if he was never there.  
“What kind of path? And who the hell are you?” Tristan shouted at the former vengeance demon. “This is starting to piss me off really quick!”  
“I am Anya formerly Anyanka known to some as a ruthless vengeance demon and others as the bride Xander Harris left at the altar.” Anya replied, clearly still not over becoming a jilted bride. “I knew your mother not so much your father but that is not why I am here…I’m here to give you a choice of living.”  
“A choice of living?” Tristan scoffed, “I seriously doubt you could take me Anna.”  
“It’s Anya and I am not here to fight I am here to grant a wish…I know seriously on the nose for a former vengeance demon but hey I do not control this quest thingy I am just showing up and doing my job.” Anya informed the son of the slayer. “I can grant you a undead life with your beloved which will not doubt end in the both of you proper dead at some point when the apocalypse comes because let’s face it whether your meant to be important or not Buffy always wins…or I can grant you a life as a slayer with your sordid past erased and the chance to do good for once in your life and possibly still dying when the apocalypse comes around because we do not all get out of those alive.”  
“So, you are some kind of demonic genie?” Tristan asked her, more confused than ever before as he struggled to deal with all that was going on around him, not knowing if any or all of it was real.

After coming across three ghosts from both his mother and father’s past there was only one thing Tristan was certain of; his parents had a lot of ghosts. He had no idea if these ghosts were real or if any of what he was experiencing was real but after being giving an ultimatum from former vengeance demon Anya he started to care less and less as he pondered taking her up on her offer.  
There was no question on his mind which choice he would take but despite that he wanted time to think it over, he did not want to give up hopes on being reunited with Dante only for this to be some kind of trick after all Anya did claim to him that this was some kind of vision quest.  
As he walked into the busy hotel bar he took in the beautiful music being played by a live band of musicians as he walked across the dancefloor and towards the bar where a beautiful and bewitching barmaid awaited to take his order.  
“I have a feeling you think you know what you want but that deep down you have no idea although you would never want to admit that!” Tara said to him as she poured Tristan a drink, confusing him further as he guessed he was now speaking to another ghost.  
“Well at least you are a ghost with a bar which instantly makes you my favorite so far.” Tristan replied as Tara passed him a whisky on the rocks, to which he quickly downed in one gulp. “So, what is your name and what makes me think you’re an expert on me?”  
“My name is Tristan Summers but the manifestation I am taking on right now is that of Tara Maclay, you see everyone you have saw so far has been you taking on a different manifestation guiding you along whichever path you wind up choosing.” Tara revealed, blowing Tristan’s mind once more. “Well not all of the ghosts were not real, but we should save that for another time.”  
“Let me guess the person who is real is the one who put me on this quest?” Tristan asked the witch, as he wondered who and what was real in all of this.  
“More like they decided to intervene with a quest already taking place to ensure they did the best their could do for their guy.” Tara admitted to Tristan. “So, tell me do you really think you can go back to being with Dante? He has been dead a long time and things are no longer as black and white for you as they were when you were with him.”  
“I must admit that did make me paused with the whole deciding thing,” Tristan said with a sigh as he made a gesture towards his glass, making Tara know he wanted a refill. “I was so scared for so long and he made me strong…Dru too! The truth is I’ve not felt strong since he was gone and then finding out Drusilla was to blame for my parents’ deaths…I used to revel in the darkness but now I feel it’s full weight by being alone in it.”  
“You do not want to back to being Dante’s naïve other half and that does not mean you do not still love him it just means you have grown to much to go back to being someone who is not you anymore.” Tara advised him as she refilled his glass with more whisky and handed it back to him. “But your clearly not the hero type either so both choices are kind of a fail for you.”  
“But if I do not pick one or the other, I may be stuck here.” Tristan moaned before downing his second drink. “I’m sick of prisons both in the literal and mystical sense.”  
“This is not a prison, this is a chance for you for the first time in your life to decide what path you want to be on without manipulation by vampires or hopes of parents who never raised you, this is your chance to be you whoever that may be.” Tara told him honestly.  
“There’s a big problem there…I have absolutely no idea who that is.” Tristan admitted, being more truthful than he had been in years, forcing himself to admit to the startling truth that he had no sense of identity or personality beyond the monster he had created to soothe a broken man.

Tristan found himself walking through the endless corridors within the Hyperion Hotel baffled with the choices Anya had handed him with, now knowing that neither vampirism or life as a slayer fitted who he was as he struggled to work out what did but the seemingly endless contemplation found itself interrupted when the first slayer walked out of a nearby room door and began walking towards him.  
Tristan quickly found himself frozen in fascination as he stared at the primeval being heading towards him, somehow recognizing her as a fellow slayer but not realizing her legacy of being the first of their kind.  
“I guess you are the kind of ghost who would be considered partly of my own past or at least the legacy I manipulated my way into.” Tristan told her only to be answered only to be met by a punch across the face by the first slayer. “Guess your not much of a talker?”  
The primeval slayer Sineya punched Tristan again before kicking him in the stomach with such force it caused him to fall to the ground.  
“You should not be!” She told him, as he tried to rise to his feet. “Slayer…you are not!”  
“Yeah I am a vampire no slayer now guess gossip travels slow in whatever decade you are from.” Tristan replied, looking the first slayer up and down. “Are you going to tell me something useful or are we just going to throw down?”  
“You were chosen long before you were born and will be chosen long after your death.” Sineya revealed to the vampire. “It is up to you how you chose your gift and you, alone.”  
“Okay enough with the cryptic crap, just tell me straight already!” Tristan moaned at her only to be met by another punch from the first slayer before being kicked back to the ground by her.  
“You are the darkness; you fight the darkness and only you can defeat the darkness.” The Primeval slayer informed him in a way that sounded more like a riddle than a reveal of any kind.  
Before Tristan could muster a reply or even get back onto his feet to face the slayer, she had disappeared out of sight leaving him confused and slightly wounded from the altercation as he slowly got back onto his feet.  
“So, what have you decided then?” Anya asked him, suddenly appearing from out of thin air, standing where the first slayer once stood. “Are you going to Spike and Dru it with your revived lover Dante or are you going for a fresh slate where nobody knows of the monster you were once with the added being alive bonus? God, I sound like a saleswoman…I suppose I kind of am…so which one will it be?”  
“Neither!” Tristan told her with confidence, knowing he had made his mind up and it was the right choice. “I am not who I was but nor am I going to pretend to be somebody I will never be…I choose to be me as I am right now able to choose my path however long or short that might be.”  
“Well that seems like a waste of a wish but it is not like I care anymore!” Anya admitted to the vampire. “If it helps you are not all evil and you do not have to pretend to be anymore, coming from a vengeance demon there’s more to the monster than people will ever understand.”  
“Thanks, I think.” Tristan replied with a forced laugh. “Although I am pretty sure you are me?”  
“Yeah just a whole lot prettier.” Anya answered without hesitation. “I guess you can wake up now but before you do there is something, I have just got to ask…”  
“What?” Tristan wondered, hoping her question would not throw him into a confusion he had just found his way out of.  
“Does money still smell as good as it used to?” Anya asked with a sense of sadness. “I really miss having money!”

Tristan found himself once again waking up in the single prison like bed, trapped within a cage located in the basement of which he now knew to be the Hyperion Hotel, and as he began to sit up on his bed he once again noticed a dark figure lurking within the shadows making him believe for just a moment it was Joyce before his father Angel walked out of the shadows.


	5. Volume 5 After The Epiphany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The son of Buffy and Angel has a difficult time on the road to redemption where he receives some help from rogue turned redeemed slayer Faith Lehane and his mother's former watcher Rupert Giles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I do not own the rights to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off series Angel, its dark horse comics continuation series, or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon and others in the Buffyverse.  
> 15 years +, Mild to Strong Violence, Sexual References  
> F/F, F/M, M/M, Other +

“Here’s the thing about being the big bad or the world’s latest hero your living on borrowed time as they say because sooner or later somebody is going to take you down just because they can. If you’re a big bad then there’s nobody to mourn your loss and let us face it you probably had it coming but if you are the hero millions mourn you especially those in need a hero after your death but although they all mourn you very few know you.” Tristan said within his head as he found himself kneeling on a fire escape looking down towards a dark alleyway as a woman begins running down the alleyway screaming in fear. “As a monster nobody expects nothing from you but once you choose your more than that you have to start proving you are…and that’s where the trouble really begins…after the epiphany!”  
After spotting the female vampire chasing down the human, Tristan quickly jumped from the fire escape landing on the ground of the alleyway distracting the vampire, as the human female took the opportunity to run away.  
“Are you Angel?” The female vampire asked him, only to be met by a look of disgust from Tristan.  
“Not Angel, definitely not Angel.” Tristan replied before launching his right fist across the vampire’s face before kicking her in the stomach and grabbing her neck in a hold so he could then knee her in the face, letting go as she began to stumble backwards before Tristan high kicked her in the face causing the fem vamp to fall to the ground as he pulled out a wooden stake and launched it into her chest, making her explode into nothing more than dust. “Well that sure felt weird!”  
Tristan was far from following in his father’s footsteps as a vampire against the rest of his kind and all other evil forces, he was far from being good in any shape or form but he could not help but admit to himself that playing the good guy for once in his life felt well, it felt kind of good.

“So, you have never had any kind of slayer training except for some fight training from a deranged vampire?” Giles asked Tristan as the two stood within the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel.  
“Unless you count the trip back in time to make myself a slayer then no I’ve had no training but with the slayer stuff and the vampire stuff I think I’m good on the needing to train front.” Tristan replied to the former watcher who was acting like he was not a former at all.  
“Training is not just about honing your skills it is about understanding those skills too on a level you clearly have no idea about under the right tutelage you may be able to handle some of those twisted feelings inside of you and harness for more power.” Giles explained to him, “You are strong yes but you could be stronger especially with your lineage and if you allow me to without any fight back then I could train you to be one of the best slayer/vampire’s in history…not that there are many slayer/vampire hybrids of course.”  
“You want to take this psychopath in front of you and give him more power?” Tristan asked, wondering why Giles had come such a far way in trusting him since the last time when he was almost killed by the former watcher.  
“You are not a psychopath Tristan, a cold and calculated murderer yes but not a psychopath and of course my expertise comes with the guarantee from you not to kill anymore innocent human lives.” Giles answered him.  
“Ah I knew there would be a catch.” Tristan joked only to be met by a look from Giles that said he was far from amused.   
“This is most definitely not the time for sarcasm, the horrid, murderous and downright evil acts you committed are not just to be laughed at!” Giles snapped at him, clearly unamused by Tristan’s lack of remorse. “Do you even feel sorry for anything you have done?”  
“Here I chose to claim my life back not to be lectured about my past, sure there is shit I feel bad about if I look back but there’s also a lot that I do not.” Tristan responded.  
“Of all the vampires in the world you are the last I would ever think of keeping their soul after transitioning.” Giles argued furiously. “In fact, I would bet good money you lost this supposed soul long before becoming a vampire.”  
“Lucas Brown,” Tristan mumbled, admitting his guilt for the first time. “I regret killing Lucas Brown.”  
“I see,” Giles replied, shocked to see any remorse from Tristan despite wanting to so badly. “What on earth drove you to kill your childhood friend’s boyfriend?”  
“He lied to me.” Tristan admitted without revealing too much.  
“Everybody lies!” Giles proclaimed, not fully believing Tristan’s claims.  
“That is why my motto is everybody dies.” Tristan joked.   
“I see,” Giles said he took off his glasses, pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and began cleaning his glasses. “I can tell slayer training is not all that you need to be taught.”  
Tristan could tell Giles was frustrated with him and it is not like he did not want Giles help nor did he not want to change his ways but he knew he was at the beginning of a long and torturous journey to become someone he felt good with being and after everything he had done he was unsure of being able to be redeemed.  
Although Tristan did not want to admit it Lucas and Dante had some things in common, the main similarity being that Tristan’s feelings towards each led to him changing for both. He lived his life in and out of the shadows when seeing Lucas because Lucas could never admit their relationship and then he literally lived in the shadows for Dante because he would burn in the sun.  
Lucas broke Tristan’s heart at a time he was most vulnerable and every time after that seeing or hearing about Lucas reminded Tristan of being weak and broken, so when he met the average joe turned GI joe in a snap moment he wanted to prove his strength and erase his past but all he really did was add another kill to his long list.  
Tristan lost his innocence the night his parents were killed and Lucas’ rejection only served to further his despair but it was Dante who truly showed Tristan the darkness, with the assistance of Drusilla, and after getting a taste for it he was quickly seduced by evil and Dante’s allure.

Tristan found himself walking through the corridors of the Hyperion Hotel as he kept switching between what the rundown corridors now looked like and what it looked like in the 1950s as he continued walking down the corridors until stopping at the door of the room where he met with a vision version of the former vengeance demon Anya and The Master.  
He stood outside that door for what felt like forever, fearing if he opened the door in front of him he wound somehow be swept back into his life changing dream or that he’d been dreaming this entire time and by opening the door he’d wake up in a different reality. The vision quest like dream really did a number on him both good and bad.  
After taking what felt like forever to him Tristan finally built up the courage to push open the hotel room door only to be instantly relieved to see it like any other hotel room well any other rundown hotel room with boarded up windows, the room had clearly not been used in recent years by Angel or any of his colleagues at Angel Investigations.  
“It’s just a normal room Tristan, no former demons or master of vampires lurking in here!” Tristan mumbled to himself, reassuring himself as he walked further into the hotel room which felt both uneasy and oddly familiar to him at the same time.  
“Are you picking out a room? Odd turn of events if you wound up living with your dad for the first time when you’re all grown up and dining on blood.” Faith stated as she appeared at the hotel doorway before walking into the room. “It could seriously do with a lick of paint but then again every inch of this place could do with some serious renovation.”  
“I quite like the honesty of the decay, the history of what was and the harsh reality of what will never be again.” Tristan replied to her, speaking with Faith had become easier for him or at least easier than speaking to Giles or Angel. “But I’m just exploring I’m certainly not looking to stick around here.”  
“I get it right now your not certain of anything not even what you recently decided, you know I was in your shoes once believing myself as this big bad that others had labelled me as myself included and just because you decide to do better does not necessarily mean you know how to do better.” Faith consulting with him, knowing Tristan’s current state of mind all too well.  
“I do not want to be a hero I have never wanted to be a hero!” Tristan admitted to her, “I did not intend to be the villain either I was just so tired of feeling weak and I wanted to get revenge for my jaded life but the truth is I was just looking for an excuse to be as monstrous as possible because it was easier that then being weak again.”  
“Nobody here is expecting anything from you especially not to be anybody’s hero except maybe yourselves.” Faith reassured the slayer turned vampire. “You cannot erase your past, but I’d be damned if it defined you for the rest of your life!”  
He never quite understood Faith’s strong sense of well faith in him despite everything that he had done but at the same time he trusted her more than anyone else who seemed to be helping him seeking redemption.  
Tristan had felt a connection with the infamous rogue turned redeemed slayer Faith Lehane from the moment he first met her outside his demonic dive bar although then he felt their friendship would be that of evil and not redemption but could he be what she believed he could be?

One Year Later  
A young male man found himself in danger after an ill advised blind date with a man who turned out to be a monster, or better put a vampire which led to this young man finding himself running down an alleyway within New York City constantly looking behind him in fear, knowing the vampire wasn’t far behind and continued to run for his life until he stopped at a dive bar named “Rogues” where he saw Tristan stood next to the door with a cigarette in hand having a cheeky smoke.  
“Please there’s this guy, at least I thought he was a guy and he’s trying to kill me!” The young man in peril pleaded with Tristan, who looked at the stranger with frustration before throwing his cigarette to the ground and putting it out with his right foot.  
“Every freaking time I go for a smoke break someone has to interrupt!” Tristan moaned as he noticed the male vampire catching up with his prey. “I guess I can take time out of my time out to help you out.”  
Tristan ran towards the vampire, tackling him to the ground and stopping him from getting near the stranger in the streets before he jumped back up almost instantly at the same time the other vampire did as Tristan launched a punch across the vampire’s face several times before kicking him back to the ground and pulling out a wooden stake from his jacket pocket which he quickly launched into the vampire’s chest, causing him to explode into dust.  
“What was he? What are you?” The frightened stranger asked the demonic slayer, clearly still in shock from his terrifying experience.  
“I believe the word you are looking for is thank you.” Tristan replied before walking back towards the dive bar as he began mumbling to himself, complaining over his interrupted smoke break. “Every freaking time, always too screechy to say thank you, like come on it’s been years now vampires existing should not be such a shock!”


	6. Volume 6 #TEAMTWISTED #FRENEMIES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spike shows up at Faith and Tristan's bar with news of Mandi's disappearance leading to the trio reforming their advised team twisted as they set out to rescue the witch who has been captured by Drusilla.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I do not own the rights to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off series Angel, its dark horse comics continuation series, or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon and others in the Buffyverse.  
> 15 years +, Mild to Strong Violence, Sexual References  
> F/F, F/M, M/M, Other +

A year can seem like nothing sometimes gone within a blink of an eye but we all have those years which change everything for us whether it’s the year you fall in love, get married, lose a loved one or go through something else heart breaking making it a year that you will never forget and often a year that seemed like it lasted forever.  
For Tristan Summers, the first year in which he felt like lasted forever was the year he lost his adoptive parents at the hands of Drusilla which led him down a downward spiral that revealed the monster inside of him.  
The second year in which felt like forever was the year after deciding to try giving a redemption a shot, caging the monster inside of him once and for all by admitting to his past and learning to move forward with the help of his biological father Angel and Faith, who he now considered a friend.  
In that year he learned how to really fight, live and think like a slayer thanks to Rupert Giles’ drilling and constant slayer training that began tedious for Tristan but he soon grew to love it and then miss Giles’ expertise when he eventually decided to return to New York City.  
Tristan had spent almost a year living under the same roof as Angel who kept a watchful eye on his tormented son as they worked together to help Tristan get on the right path, forming a bond with his father for the first time but never fully accepting him as his father.  
He had not seen his mother Buffy Summers, her bewitching friend Willow Rosenberg or her on/off again vampire lover Spike in that year nor did he see his former best friend Mandi Jenkins, having killed her boyfriend over a year ago.  
Los Angeles had Angel as it’s protector and San Francisco had Buffy, however as Tristan’s conscious continued to grow he realized New York City had nobody reliable to protect it, which was a huge realization for the person who used to be that city’s biggest problem, so he decided to return to the big apple once again, opening up a new dive bar where humans and creatures could both enjoy cheap drink and this time his co-landlord was none other then Faith Lehane, a friend who began as an enemy and now the only person in the world he trusted more than himself.  
Yes, a lot had changed in the year that Tristan had turned from a rogue slayer to a vampire with a soul and in what was only a year felt like a lifetime ago for Tristan Summers but just because he had come to terms with his past does not mean everyone else had.

Tristan had found himself alone in his and Faith’s bar Rogue’s, wiping down glasses late in the night, so late the bar had closed it’s doors to the public but not late enough for Tristan to worry about sunlight now that he would have to worry in Rogue’s wear every window had been spelled to protect any vampire from sunlight, not that much ever got into the alleyway in which the pub was located.  
Rogue’s was the perfect lovechild of Tristan and Faith, taking everything that Tristan loved about his previous bar and adding elements of who he and Faith were now.   
There was an anti-violence spell so humans and demons could not harm either/or, a spell which Faith had learned from the loveable demon Lorne’s contacts and had been performed by a local coven, who also did the magical windows.  
Rogue’s was a safe place for everyone, and everyone was welcome, well almost everyone.  
“I never thought you would wind up back in this city slinging drinks for us undead folk although I suppose your one of us now.” Spike proclaimed as he walked through the front door, making his presence known to Tristan, who found himself instantly irritated by the peroxide haired vampire’s arrival.  
“We’re open for everyone and everything.” Tristan replied as he finished cleaning his last glass, placing it on the bar counter with the other glasses. “Well almost everyone, we are closed!”  
“Here is me thinking you and I were on the same side now,” Spike responded with a devilish smirk, knowing he was winding up the slayer turned vampire. “Guess I was wrong in thinking that would make us get along better then?”  
“You annoy me, you have always annoyed me, good or bad, me or you, you are always bloody annoying!” Tristan snapped at him. “And do not think that because you got lucky last time you would stand a chance in a fight with me now!”  
“Here I am not looking for another fight especially now your less psychotic!” Spike told him. “I reckon your parents would not be too happy with me if I wound up beating up their boy again, listen the reason I am here is because I need yours and Faith’s help.”  
“Well Faith’s out patrolling so I cannot speak for her, but I would rather go sunbathing than help you out.” Tristan snapped at him, clearly wound up by the fellow vampire, not sure why Spike always irritated him so much but somehow, he always did.  
“Did I forget to mention this help I need involves Dru?” Spike asked, knowing the mere mention of his sire would grab Tristan’s interest.  
“Last time we went up against Drusilla I wound up undead not that I am saying no because I am ready to take her on anytime anywhere but why the hell are you so quick to get back into all that crazy.” Tristan wondered, cautious about seeing the woman who sired both him and Spike but eager to get another shot at revenge against her.  
“She’s got Mandi and I do not think Mandi is chilling with Dru through choice, my guess is she’s forcing her to do some magic for her which does not take a genius to work out it won’t be anything good!” Spike revealed, shocking Tristan by the news his childhood friend was in danger, kidnapped by a vampire he had introduced her to.  
Tristan had purposely made a point of staying as far away from Riverborn as possible most of his life but more so since he killed Mandi’s boyfriend Lucas, fearing the day he would have to face her again and see her grief caused by his own callous actions, knowing he would never have an excuse good enough to justify her pain but knowing she was in danger changed everything.  
He had to save the witch from Drusilla and not just because he felt guilty knowing the female vampire only knew of Mandi because of him but because he realized that for the longest time Mandi had never given up on him even when she should have and the idea of her dying despising him was a thought too awful for him to bare.

The only problem with tracking Drusilla down is the obvious tracking her down part, the infamous vampire shows up when you never expect her and always manages to get away with her life managing to avoid Buffy, Angel and Faith on several occasions; a feat not many vampire can claim.  
Her sire Angelus was killed by Buffy to later return re-ensouled, her grandsire Darla was killed by Angel only to come back get pregnant and then save herself so that Connor could come into the world and her great-grandsire The Master also fell victim to Buffy’s unstoppable and heroic ways.   
The only other vamp that can claim to have avoided death at the two most famous slayers and the vampire with a soul would be Spike but he wound up on their side, something Drusilla would never do.  
Drusilla was a gifted vampire indeed as lethal as she was crazy but there was one thing that would let her down every time: her sense of family. It was her diluted sense of family mixed with her gothic traditionalism and her warped mind that had put her in danger so many times before; returning to Sunnydale to try get Spike back despite the threat of the notorious slayer Buffy and facing Angel’s wrath to turn Darla into a vampire once more are just two excellent examples of this.  
It may have been a long time since she thought of Angel, Darla or even Spike as family, being abandoned by them quite a long time ago but it was through that loneliness that she sought out a new family to which she would later regard to as her children. Her first child Dante was staked, her second child Tristan had joined the same team as Angel and Spike and her third child Mandi was the first of the three to leave her.   
Drusilla was once again alone without a family, family that had been taken away from her too many times before and this made her more dangerous than ever before.  
“You have aged since I last saw you my darling girl, but I would not expect less from a human.” Drusilla stated as she walked into a room within the abandoned hospital, she had made her lair, where she was delighted in the sight of Mandi being chained to the bed. “I hear about your soldier man being snacked on by Tristan, naughty boy that one!”  
“If your going to kill me get it over with already!” Mandi snapped at her, knowing her chances of survival were very slim.  
“I was tempted to turn you like I did Tristan but that only poisoned him further,” Drusilla admitted with a great sense of sadness, clearly mourning the loss of what she once had. “He broke his mother’s heart by leaving me for that woman…they always leave me for her.”  
“You are not his mother Buffy is!” Mandi shouted, “The reason people keep leaving you Drusilla is because your twisted and you do not deserve any of us!”  
“Your words really do cut like a knife, but knives don’t hurt much when you’re a vampire.” Drusilla stated as she walked over to Mandi, grabbing her by the throat with force. “Family always leave, or they wind up getting slaughtered by daddy, I am learning to be okay with being a party of one.”  
“Why have you brought me here?” Mandi said, struggling to breathe as Drusilla continued to choke her. “Your losing your touch…they’re going to find you here!”  
“Sweetie I want them to find me this time.” Drusilla said with a cold laugh before snapping Mandi’s neck and letting go straight after as watched her lifeless body drop onto the bed. “You were always my least favorite child, punishing you was always going to be easier…next I will punish him!”  
Drusilla was done with being part of a family, but she was not done with seeking revenge on those she had once considered family. She had kept Mandi alive long enough for news of her disappearance to spread, and somehow, she knew exactly when Tristan found out and when he did Mandi had served her use.  
Spike and Tristan were coming for her and Tristan would realize where to go but Drusilla would be waiting, ready to get revenge on them both for abandoning her, ready to kill them both for abandoning her and then if all things went to plan she was turn her attention to Angel.

Just like Drusilla predicted it did not take Tristan long to suggest they go check out her former lair, with himself, Faith and Spike in New York City they would not have to travel long to find themselves back into those woods searching for the abandoned hospital that Drusilla had claimed so many times before.  
No-one was certain she would be here but for a hunch they thought they had better check it out, I mean it was their only lead and little did they know that the obvious option was the correct one or that Drusilla made herself easy to find as she prepared to act out her revenge against the three of them.  
“Got to say Drusilla being in the same place as last time seems like on hell of a longshot!” Faith stated to Spike and Tristan as they walked through the woods at the beginning of night, having used the daytime to weigh up their options, due to Spike and Tristan’s tendency to burn in the daylight.  
“True but better checking here just in case,” Tristan replied to the slayer. “Who knows this time she may want to be found?”  
“If she does then we are literally walking straight into a trap.” Spike suggested as they continued to walk through the woods. “Which judging by our luck sounds about right.”  
“Well I like our odds this time even if we are down a witch,” Faith chimed in. “I mean we all know the layout this time and most of came out alive last time.”  
“As long as I get the chance to stake Drusilla once and for all and we get Mandi out safe then I call it a win!” Tristan told them both, unaware of the cruel irony of his words, unaware that Mandi was already gone.  
“Trusting Dru whatever goes down here she’ll find a way to come out of it untouched, she’s something else that one.” Spike admitted, causing both Faith and Tristan to look at each other, rolling their eyes as they continued walking through the woods. “Just pointing out facts here guys!”  
“Yeah well Dru’s days are well and truly numbered, whether it is today or another day she will be dust soon enough!” Faith replied to Spike, while at the same time trying to reassure Tristan, he would get his revenge.  
“This is why Faith is the only person out of your little scooby gang I can actually tolerate.” Tristan pointed out to Spike, seeing frustration from the blonde-haired vampire who clearly did not like to be called a scooby.  
“I am not no bloody scooby that shit is reserved for Buffy’s nearest and dearest and that is not me.” Spike argued, making Tristan laugh at the thought of winding him up instead of being wound up by him.  
“Nor me!” Faith added honestly, although her and Buffy had come along way, she knew she would never be as close to her fellow slayer as Buffy was with Xander, Willow and Giles.  
“Me three!” Tristan announced with a devilish smirk, as he realized, they were all connected through their fragile relationship with Buffy, whether it be lover, friend, or mother neither of their bonds with Buffy were strong.  
“Difference is you’re still her kid which means all you have to do is pick up the phone, show her some attention and all is forgiven.” Spike responded to Tristan, attempting to make the demonic slayer realize that building a relationship with his mother would be easier than he thought only to be met by an awkward silence.  
Now was not the time for Tristan Summers to start reconsidering his relationship with his biological mother Buffy Summers who he had not seen since he had awakened as a vampire over a year ago now whether he found himself wanting to or not Mandi had to be his concentration, he had to right the many wrongs he had done to the witch and he believed saving her life would be a good start.   
If only he knew his bewitching childhood friend had already met an untimely demise as he, Faith and Spike marched their way towards deranged Drusilla’s lair ready to fight the good fight and play heroes then they would have avoided another twisted turn in Tristan’s story.


	7. Volume 7 Shadow Self (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the first part of "Shadow Self" Buffy and Angel's son Tristan becomes convinced the ghost of his bestfriend is haunting him, while Faith begins to fear he's losing his mind and decides it's time to call in the parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I do not own the rights to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off series Angel, its dark horse comics continuation series, or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon and others in the Buffyverse.  
> 15 years +, Mild to Strong Violence, Sexual References, Suicidal Thoughts which may be potentially triggering.  
> F/F, F/M, M/M, Other +

“Mandi,” A traumatized Tristan spoke as the body of his childhood friend Mandi lay on a rustic prison like bed within the abandoned hospital that he, Faith and Angel had just sneaked into hoping to save the witch whose corpse was now laying there on the bed with the clear signs of a broken neck. “Mandi…”  
Still clearly in shock Tristan rushed over to Mandi’s body quickly holding her in his arms before shaking her as he repeatedly shouted her name, growing more and more frantic before he let out a heartbroken scream as he hugged the witch’s lifeless body and sobbed for the loss of his former best friend.  
He continued to hug her tighter and tighter sobbing more and more before gently placing her body back down on the bed and gently closing her eyes with the softest touch of his hands as he just stood looking at her body, knowing she was gone and had be for some time now.  
“She didn’t make a sound except for the sound of her neck breaking…and then she was gone just like that.” Drusilla cruelly taunted him as she opened the door and walked into the room, thrilled to see Tristan devastated by a death she had caused. “This reminds me of the day we first met…only you were innocent back then, not so much now! In fact, her blood is as much on your hands as it was on mine.”  
“You ruthless bitch!” Tristan screamed at his sire before launching himself at her, throwing punch after punch across Drusilla’s face before his eyes suddenly went jet black and a shadow like smoke launched itself out from both his hands attacking Drusilla instantly and throwing her through a wall only for the smoke to disappear straight afterwards, along with Tristan’s eyes returning to normal.  
Tristan had no idea what had just happened or how it happened and he did not care because now he had the upper hand and he was ready to take out the evil vampire once and for all as he climbed through the decaying wall in which Drusilla was thrown through and into another room filled with empty and rotting hospital beds as Drusilla began to slowly stand back up, clearly wounded from the shock attack.  
“I was ready to punish you like I did the witch but there’s still hope for a mother son reunion after all.” Drusilla said gleefully, seemingly knowing more about what had just happened than what Tristan did.  
“I am going to kill you!” Tristan said emotionless as his eyes returned to their jet-black color before he began walking towards Drusilla.  
“The shadow demon is a little stronger in you now,” Drusilla cackled with excitement. “You may have kept your soul, but you awakened something far more powerful something deep within the creation of the first slayer.”  
“What the hell are you talking about?” Tristan asked as he stopped walking towards Drusilla, his eyes once again returning to their normal color.  
“That darkness inside you feel now more than ever is that of the shadow demon’s heart soul and spirit.” Drusilla informed him, continuing to laugh manically. delighted with what she had found out. “The reason you have a soul is because it’s the demon’s soul.”  
“No that’s not true!” Tristan shouted as he launched another punch across Drusilla’s face furiously. “I’ve faced my darkness; I’ve defeated it and now I am going to defeat you.”  
“Oh, my darling boy you are more lost now than you ever were but soon you will be found.” Drusilla stated, “But until then I am going to have to say goodbye.”  
Before Tristan could ask anymore questions Drusilla ran towards the nearby window and threw herself through the already have broken glass, breaking off what remained as she jumped downwards to her escape and instead of following her, instead of seeking the revenge he now craved more than ever he just stood there frozen in the revelation.  
Tristan had believed his soul remained because there was good in him because he was good underneath all his monstrous acts but now Drusilla’s theory suggested something else, if anything that she was saying was true.

Tristan never got his revenge on Drusilla neither did he, Faith or Spike manage to save Mandi and the guilt quickly began to eat away at the demonic slayer growing more and more as each day and night went by. They may have left the woods and the abandoned hospital behind to return to New York but once again that place had a killer hold on Tristan.  
Tristan tried his best to mask his grief over Mandi’s death as he continued to work at the bar he shared with Faith but every time he found himself alone at night struggling to sleep and when he did he had the recurring nightmare of finding Mandi on repeat in his dreams, forcing him away, shaken and torn, as if he was reliving her death every single time he closed his eyes.  
One of those painful sleep cycles started just like they always did and ended with Tristan once again waking up with a scream as he popped up in his bed within his bedroom located above the bar but this time his scream sounded like a banshee’s wail, piercing the air so violently that the glass on the window completely shattered only adding to the look of horror on Tristan’s face as Faith came running in, ready to slay whatever made that noise.  
“Tristan…are you okay?” Faith asked, noticing from the look of terror on Tristan’s face that the demonic slayer was anything but okay before looking over at the broken window. “What the hell did that?”  
“She did!” Tristan said, struggling to get the words out, his voice sounding shaken and traumatized. “She’s haunting me, she wants revenge!”  
“Tristan, I do not think this is Mandi,” Faith replied as she began walking over to Tristan’s bed before sitting down on the end of the bed. “She wouldn’t do this; something clearly did but I do not think it was her.”  
“I keep seeing her everywhere she is haunting me, and I cannot pretend I am okay anymore.” Tristan cried. “I deserve this! I deserve it all, I just wish she would kill me already and have it over with.”  
“This is not Mandi!” Faith told him before reaching out her hand to touch Tristan’s shoulder, attempting to comfort him, only to be surprised when he did not strong off her hand. “What happened to her was on Drusilla not you, we tried to save her we were just too late!”  
“If I hadn’t killed Lucas, she would not have been alone for Drusilla to strike,” Tristan said as he broke down and began sobbing. “If I never introduced her to Drusilla, she would never have targeted her in the first place…all of this is on me! I do not deserve to be the one alive she was the good one, Drusilla should have killed her not me.”  
“Hey, do not speak like that Tristan do not ever speak like that!” Faith demanded before pulling a sobbing Tristan over to her as she hugged him tightly in her arms, desperate to make her friend’s pain go away, knowing that pain all too well herself. “We will find out what is doing this then we will kill it you will never speak like this again alright.”  
Faith had no idea what had happened that night but she did not feel like it was the spirit of the recently deceased witch however one thing she was certain of was Tristan was seriously slipping as he continued to mourn his childhood friend. She had hoped that once he broke down a little, he would feel better but this was the kind of breakdown that if she did not intervene straight away would wind up with him in the loony bin or worse dead.  
Faith was no stranger to the road to redemption or the dark thoughts that lurked it’s way in along the journey but she also knew when it came to pep talks and life changing hugs Buffy and Angel had her beat time and time again which meant getting them to come to New York to help their son through this giving her the free time to work out if he was really being haunted or if there was something else behind the breaking of the windows.

Buffy Summers had not seen her son in well over a year not being able to erase the memory of Tristan climbing out of his own grave from her mind which was a triggering image not only for how she felt over her son but because she had an eerily similar grave encounter of her own.  
Buffy never meant for it to be so long before seeing her son again but she was convinced he had to focus on his own redemption without dealing with the extra baggage that Buffy and Angel had become to their own child due to no fault of their own.  
She knew he needed his time to find himself again after the many toxic twists in his life or at least that is what she had let herself believe until she had got a phone call from Faith who told her of Mandi’s untimely death and how badly it had effected Tristan and how he believed he was being haunted by her spirit.  
Whether he was or was not being haunted by her ghost was something for them all to later investigate but right now more than ever Tristan needed his parents, the only problem was his parents had never really got the chance to be his parents especially Buffy who had no contact with him for over a year.  
“I packed a present, a present, like hey your friend’s dead but it is okay because I got you this cool gift!” Buffy rambled as she took a present out of her bag which was placed on her bed in the room of her San Francisco apartment that she shared with Willow, before throwing the present onto the other end of her bed. “I should be better at this, I’ve lost people, I lose people all the time.”  
“This is not a grieving thing it is a mum thing,” Willow told her after walking into Buffy’s room. “It’s nobody’s fault but your new to the mum thing and this is your chance to be there for him without you know him trying to kill you.”  
“Hey, we do not know for sure he is not going to want to kill me once he sees me again.” Buffy joked, before realizing. “Oh god, we do not know if he is going to want to kill me again!”  
“Drusilla did a number on Tristan and by number I mean a brainwash of the nuttiest kind coming from the nuttiest vampire we’ve ever come across but he spent time with Angel and Faith seems to have really bonded with him, not in a motherly way more like a sister brother thing which is weird considering he’s technically only a few years old.” Willow replied, trying to reassure her best friend. “Gosh, Tristan makes Dawn’s existence a lot less confusing, well until you start going into what she was before human…”  
“Willow, your rambling, your meant to be pep talking and your rambling.” Buffy laughed at the redheaded witch. “I kind of need reassurance right now!”  
“Do you want me to come with?” Willow asked, eager to help the slayer in anyway, as always. “I can be ready in five!”  
“I do not think showing up with my witch bestie to my son who just lost his witch bestie is a good idea, besides I’d just rely on you too much and I need to do this mother to son, who is only a few years younger than me which is weird because he is meant to be a few years old.” Buffy answered, before realizing what she was doing. “Okay I am rambling again, I need to get to packing and then going!”

Tristan walked down the stairs of his apartment, which led to the backroom to his pub Rogue’s, before continuing to walk through to the front of the bar, clearly exhausted from his lack of sleep due to the nightmares he was having only to be left shocked to see Angel sat on a stool at the bar counter looking like he had been there for some time, waiting for his son to come downstairs.  
“What are you doing here?” Tristan asked abruptly. “I’ve not been killing anybody…not been helping anybody either but still I do not need locking up this time around.”  
“Tristan, I know we focused heavily on your redemption when you were in Los Angeles with me but that does not mean I’m your sober coach so to speak.” Angel replied, before reluctantly asking. “You are still on pig’s blood, right?”  
“I upgraded to blood bags that I steal from the hospital,” Tristan answered him with a laugh, knowing Angel had to ask despite not wanting to. “Stealing makes me feel like I have not reverted back into the total nerd I used to be but no nobody gets killed!”  
“You were a nerd?” Angel responded with a laugh. “I cannot picture that.”  
“Big time, getting good grades were everything to me well that a boy who used me like a fool and of course my bestie…Mandi.” Tristan admitted before realizing halfway through his words that Mandi was dead, causing his face to drop with a sigh of sadness.  
“That’s why I’m here son…” Angel announced as he stood up to be eye level with his child. “Faith told me about your friend, and I want to be here for you.”  
“You called me son…I am not your son my father died a long time ago; you are not him!” Tristan snapped, lashing out because it was easier than breaking down. “And Faith had no right talking to you behind my back.”  
“It was not like that I promise, you do not have to get defensive about being in pain it is okay to be hurting Tristan.” Angel tried to convince his second son, eager to get through to him. “I cannot imagine all the things that must have happened to cause you to close up like this, but it is not healthy pretending not to feel especially when your grieving.”  
“Look I was not down for the preaching from you or Giles when I was in L.A. and I am sure as hell not down for it now and no you have no damn idea what I have been through so you have no right to tell me how to feel or how to react to how I feel.” Tristan shouted, letting his anger out which instantly started to make him feel better.  
“You did not kill Mandi or your parents, Dru did just like I killed her, just like I killed my own.” Angel admitted to Tristan painfully, shocking his son by the revelation Angel killed his own family, one of the things Drusilla never told him. “I know what it is like to carry the guilt of killing your family because I actually did…you did not!”  
“You killed your parents…” Tristan said in shock.  
“It was after I was turned when I was Angelus, there is a lot of monstrous things I did back then that I can never fully redeem myself for and I know you get that feeling but you do not have to redeem yourself for your parents or Mandi.” Angel explained to him, noticing tears forming in Tristan’s eyes, believing he was getting through to his son.  
“You had no soul back then; you are not the same person you were then.” Tristan told him, trying to make his father feel better, before reluctantly admitting. “I actually think your one of the best people I know…these days.”  
“Wow, I think that was close to a compliment, the closest you probably get.” Angel joked as the father and son shared a short laugh. “Look I just want to be there for you, and I hear Rogue’s might be haunted…”  
“Is there nothing Faith does not tell you?” Tristan asked, not realizing just how much Angel and Faith still talked.  
“I’ve dealt with a lot of ghosts,” Angel said, making his expertise known. “What do you say to some back up on this ghost hunt?”  
“I guess a séance between two people would probably not be the best.” Tristan agreed, secretly happy to have his father’s help. “I’ll get Faith to see if Spike is still in New York so we can get the numbers up to at least four.”  
“Spike?” Angel asked, clearly unamused by the mention of his frenemy’s name. “What is Spike doing here in New York? What is he still doing here?”  
“Yeah Faith said you guys weren’t exactly tight.” Tristan laughed. “Guess you and I have something in common in that sense!”  
Angel and Spike had a lot of jealousy shared equally between the both of them often competing with the other and it did not help they both shared a great love for Buffy Summers so hearing that his son Tristan was not fond of Spike was an instant relief to Angel.  
For a moment he feared Spike would have a closer bond to his son than he did but Tristan had quickly reassured him, the only problem now for Angel was the curiosity to how tight Spike and Faith were now, although he would never want to admit that of course.  
Centuries long jealousy aside Angel was here for his son and for his son he would be even if that meant playing nice with Spike to talk to spirits with Faith and Tristan to find out if Mandi was really haunting Rogue’s or if something else sinister was targeting his son.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	8. Volume 8 Shadow Self (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the second part of "Shadow Self" Buffy arrives in New York ready to help her son Tristan in his time of need but feels put out by his bond with Faith. Meanwhile Tristan learns some truth about his alleged haunting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanfiction Series to “Buffy the vampire Slayer” series, “Angel” series and the Buffyverse continuation in the “Dark Horse Comics” series.  
> Warning: I do not own the rights to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off series Angel, its dark horse comics continuation series, or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon and others in the Buffyverse.  
> 15 years +, Mild to Strong Violence, Sexual References.  
> F/F, F/M, M/M, Other +

“All that I am saying is I do not see why Spike needs to come especially with Buffy on her way there is such a thing as too many people for a séance.” Angel complained to Faith as the two of them walked through a cemetery located somewhere within New York.  
“Spike knew Mandi and their friendship believe it or not is a lot less complicated than Tristan and Mandi’s so if it is her haunting Tristan my bet is on Spike convincing her to either lay off or crossover.” Faith explained to the brooding vampire. “Spike is needed for this little séance you and Buffy are here to be there for your kid.”  
“Is Willow coming too? I mean Buffy goes everywhere with her friends and having a witch during a séance makes sense.” Angel replied to her, giving in to the notion of having to soon play nice with Spike. “I doubt Dawn and Xander are going to be there with the baby and everything…but then again I doubted Spike would be there and hey presto.”  
“Calm down big guy,” Faith laughed at Angel’s jealousy with Spike. “Willow is not coming I told B it was better for her to come on her own so you and her could you know do whatever parents do with their kids that does not involve messing them up.”  
“And yet Spike still got an invite?” Angel moaned once more.  
“I get you and Spike have this beef over B and then there is some messed up shit with Dru that I do not even want to approach but you have both been fighting on the same side for a while now it is long overdue that you two stop being a pair of bitches and learn how to get along.” Faith told him straight. “The last thing Tristan needs right now is dad to be fighting with mum’s on/off lover over stupid shit!”  
“You are right.” Angel reluctantly admitted. “When did you become the voice of reason?”  
“I know, scary right?” Faith laughed. “New York’s been a good move for me so far…well until Dru made her little comeback anyways.”  
“Do you think it is Mandi that is haunting Tristan or something else?” Angel questioned her as the two stopped walking and stood still on the path.  
“Honestly, I think Mandi is gone and that’s the worst of this because if she is at least haunting him then Tristan has a chance of closure.” Faith replied to Angel. “But then on the sinister side ghosts are known for breaking windows but other than Tristan’s nightmares there has been no other signs of a haunting.”  
“Well he did not break the windows himself so if this séance is a bust then we take to the research I guess.” Angel answered her, “I hope for Tristan’s sake it is Mandi.”  
“Never did I think we’d be hoping for a haunting.” Faith said, as the two shared a laugh with each other. “I miss the good old days when it was just vampires and slayers.”  
Faith was glad Angel was in town despite their awkward attempt at becoming something more the two of them had always made good friends, in a way she was thankful for the fallout they had over a year ago as it led to the two of them finding their unique friendship once again, a friendship Faith valued deeply.  
Faith had always had a soft side for Angel and it was good to learn he did too but after their brief romance which was just a series of make out sessions she was glad to once again refer to him as a friend having never really been one for relationships, or maybe Faith had just not met someone she could imagine herself being all in for.

With the constant nightmares, the exploding windows and the shock arrival of his father Angel, Tristan Summers was more exhausted than he had ever been before but with the hope of a séance getting to the bottom of his recent ordeal Tristan decided to get some time to himself and ran a bath.  
Tristan never lasted long lying in the bath he had made for himself before he quickly found himself falling asleep despite trying his hardest to avoid it he couldn’t resist his exhaustion any longer and before long he had found himself fast asleep.  
As his eyes closed he found himself transported to standing in the garden of his family home in Riverborn, shocked to how he got there and uncertain of whether or not he was dreaming as he looked at his home noticing it looked lived in and abandoned like the last time he was there as he began walking towards the front door only to be left shocked as he reached the porch to find Drusilla opening the front door.  
“The demon inside you grows stronger by the day my darling boy.” She said as she walked over and gently raised her right hand to stroke Tristan’s right cheek softly. “You have been lost for a long time but soon you will find your real home…with me.”  
“No, you are wrong this is just some weird way of you messing with my mind again.” Tristan replied as he pulled away from the female vampire. “I will never be with you again unless that is me killing you.”  
“Silly boy if you wanted me dead you would have tried harder,” Drusilla laughed, revealing what Tristan already knew himself deep down. “Yes, you are mad, but I am the last bit of family you have, and mummy will always love you!”  
“You killed my friend!” Tristan snapped at her.  
“You and I both know I was not the only one to kill her.” Drusilla replied, adding more guilt to Tristan’s conscious.  
Before Tristan could reply to Drusilla he suddenly found himself in a dark cave within a blink of the eye, confused by how he had went from his family home to a cave so quickly as he looked around for any sign of Drusilla only to be met by nothing but empty space and shadows.  
He wanted to go towards the light and walk out of the cave but something inside him wanted to see where the cave led to and before long Tristan found himself walking further and further into the darkness until he found the first slayer stood in front of him.  
“You’re the first slayer I remember you from my last wacky dream.” Tristan greeted her. “Why are you here now?”  
“Be stronger than the monster inside!” Sineya warned Tristan, but before he could respond to her he felt a cold chill behind his shoulder which forced him awake, back in the bathroom of the apartment he shared in the bathroom, back in a now cold bath.  
“Well that was different,” Tristan stated as he looked around the bathroom. “At least there’s no broken windows this time.”  
“Hello friend,” A version of Mandi greeted Tristan as she appeared from out of thin air with jet black eyes, shocking Tristan by her presence. “Goodbye friend!”  
The twisted jet black eyed Mandi grabbed a hold of Tristan’s head and shoved his entire body under water with an unfamiliar superhuman strength as Tristan began struggling to come back up only to be met by Mandi’s cackling as she continued to drown the demonic slayer.

Buffy Summers stood in the alleyway outside of Rogue’s front doors hesitant to walk into the bar owned by her son and her former friend turned enemy turned friend again Faith, as she tried to prepare herself to go into mum mode.   
Now when it came to monster hunting, she was an expert, being a big sister she managed and she believed she was a good friend but when it came to being a mother she had little practice only having a few weeks with her new born baby before losing him to a portal to the past and she was more than nervous to take up her motherly duties once again.  
It did not help that her son seemed to be thick as thieves with Faith which added to Buffy’s fears knowing that Tristan could relate more to Faith than her, even Angel had one up on her in the department not to mention nobody exactly asked Buffy to come to L.A. to help Tristan’s redemption, although nobody told her not to either.  
Suddenly a loud screaming sound came from within the bar that Buffy instantly recognized as her son’s scream forcing her to face her fears and run into the bar as fast as she could, hearing his screams louder when inside the bar which were now matched with sounds of splashing.  
Buffy quickly jumped over the bar counter and ran into the backroom, rushing towards the stairs which she quickly charged up before reaching the bathroom door and kicking the locked door open with force shocked to see Tristan lying there in the bath looking completely traumatized but his head was now above water and as Buffy looked around the room she concluded he was alone.  
“Did a ghost try to drown you? They love drowning people, well not just ghosts actually vamps love it too but their a little better at it, especially The Master.” Buffy rambled to Tristan before receiving a non-amused look from her son. “I guess I should close the door and wait downstairs for you to get changed.”  
She could tell something had just happened that she had just stopped something from going any further but she could also tell her son was wet, naked and in need of getting changed and so she left him to it quickly closing the bathroom door behind her as she left Tristan alone in the bathroom once again.  
Whatever attacked him was clearly gone and so Buffy felt safe in leaving him to get himself ready before meeting her downstairs, saving him from whatever was tormenting him was an easy task for her, it was just another day as the slayer to her but she knew what would come next, what he needed from her, would prove to be her hardest job yet; being a mum.

After yet another near death experience Tristan had well and truly met his limit, he was done with all things supernatural, with always having to fight every single day and mostly he was done with being haunted by a friend who he believed had every right to torment him like he believed she was.  
He had spent so much time loving Lucas and then loving Dante that he never stopped to fully appreciate the kind of love he had with his best friend Mandi Jenkins, a girl who always had his back no matter what and even plunged forward into the darkness with him so he did not have to be alone.  
This loyalty did not go unpunished with Tristan choosing Dante and Drusilla over Mandi repeatedly before going on to kill Mandi’s boyfriend and yet Mandi was one of the biggest advocates for his redemption.  
The truth is he had given up on her and even himself a long time ago and yet she had never give up on him, her belief in him being what Tristan truly believed had left to her untimely death at the hands of Drusilla.  
“Why did you have to be such a good friend?” A now fully dressed Tristan mumbled to himself as he looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. “You deserved so much better than me!”  
Tristan continued to investigate his reflection, beginning to notice that his eyes kept changing from it’s normal color to jet black before he started blinking quicker and quicker hoping to see his eyes stay their normal color, growing more and more frustrated, leading him to punch the mirror with his right fist as his face went full vampire mode.  
“That is who you really are, you can keep trying to pretend you’re not a monster but deep down we both know better.” Dante stated as he appeared from out of thin air, shocking Tristan out of his vamp face, as he struggled to understand how his dead lover was suddenly standing right next to him.  
“You are not real you cannot be real!” Tristan replied, after managing to stumble up the courage to speak. “If you were going to haunt me you would never have waited so long…”  
“Oh, I am real I’m just not Dante it’s just easier to talk to you with a face you like.” The being displaying Dante’s body claimed.  
“You tried drowning me.” Tristan responded, admitting for the first time Mandi was not behind recent events.  
“You’re a vampire you cannot really drown,” The Dante imposter scoffed. “I just needed to get your attention.”  
“Why?” Tristan wondered, fearing the answer.  
“Go downstairs and find out for yourself.” The enigma replied before vanishing how he appeared, within a blink of an eye.  
It was in that very moment Tristan knew for a fact neither Mandi or any other ghost was haunting him, that Drusilla was right about her claims of the soul he now had being that of the demon’s, the shadow demon’s.  
He knew that the thing plaguing him was actually himself or rather something within himself and the only way to get rid of this plague was to face the ancient demon within, no matter it’s risk, the risk being the potential of losing his soul forever.

Buffy, Angel and Spike all sat at the counter of the bar on the stools within the Rogue’s bar as Faith stood behind the bar ready to begin a séance she did not fully believed needed to be performed but knew Tristan needed all of their company now more than ever.  
Buffy had informed them all about her bathroom break in with Tristan, how spooked her son looked by the time she had got to him and how there was no sign of anyone else, not that it would be the first time the slayer had encountered an invisible foe but it was the first time one plagued her son.  
Faith shared the nightmares she had witnessed Tristan waking up from, how he was convinced Mandi was haunting him and how deeply she feared that the demonic slayer was beginning to lose his mind at the hands of something, if not himself.  
Angel admitted to his worries about the son he shared with his first love Buffy but also admitted to the hopes that they could pull him through this, being somewhat confident after his recent father/son moment with Tristan.  
And as for Spike, he didn’t have much to add to the conversation, mostly avoiding the awkwardness of being around Buffy after their latest breakup and the general feuding he had with Angel lasting centuries long, while drinking the bottle of beers Faith had been handing him in order to keep him there.  
They talked about Tristan over and over while all trying to avoid any other topic of conversation; Faith wanting to avoid the Buffy, Angel and Spike love triangle that never went without it’s drama, Buffy wanting to stop herself admitting her jealousy over Faith’s bond with her son and Angel and Spike just wanting to avoid each other.  
“He has been up there a really long time!” Faith noticed, keeping the conversation on Tristan still, as she began to grow more worried for the demonic slayer.  
“Maybe one of us should go up there…” Buffy suggested, fearing being the one to check on her son but also fearing to stay alone with Angel and Spike.  
“I am more than willing…” Angel began to say, before being cut off.  
“I’ll go check!” Faith interrupted, not meaning to be rude but just being used to the one handling Tristan, her eagerness not going unnoticed by Buffy.  
Before long Faith found herself in the backroom of the bar and rushing up the stairs, shouting Tristan’s name repeatedly as she walked into the hallway of their shared apartment before noticing the bathroom door was left opened.  
She wasted no time into walking into the bathroom, already knowing deep down she wouldn’t find Tristan there only to find the broken mirror as evidence to her theory, concluding Tristan had left to god knows where, fearing if she did not act quick she may never see him again as she worried about what danger lay ahead for the demonic slayer.  
One thing Faith knew for certain wherever he was going spelled trouble and she was going to need Buffy, Spike and Angel’s best efforts to find Tristan in time and save him from whatever had left him so tormented.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	9. Volume 9 Shadow Self (Part Three)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the third and finale part of "Shadow Self" Angel and Buffy clash over what to do with their tormented son as Tristan considers making the ultimate sacrifice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I do not own the rights to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off series Angel, its dark horse comics continuation series, or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon and others in the Buffyverse.  
> 15 years +, Mild to Strong Violence, Sexual References and Suicidal Themes that may be triggering.  
> F/F, F/M, M/M, Other +

Eons ago long before slayers roamed the earth monsters reigned supreme with nobody there to stand against them until one day three men known as the shadow men managed to lure and trap the shadow demon to use it in a spell that would merge the demon’s heart, spirit and soul with a young girl known as Sineya, making her the first slayer.  
She alone stood against the vampires, demons and the forces of darkness although unlike those who came after her, here newfound super strength came at the price of her humanity, changing her forever until one day she died and another slayer was born.  
Into each generation over the years a new slayer would be called until eventually the all-consuming destiny called on Buffy Summers who changed things for the better with the help of her bewitching best friend Willow Rosenberg a new era was born, one in which all potentials would be slayers.  
No slayer had ever merged as fully with the shadow demon as the first slayer until one vampire led a man down a path into the past toe become a monster travelling back to the primordium age where the shadow men merged the shadow demon with Tristan Summers.  
Unlike the first slayer Tristan managed to hold on to his humanity largely due the shadow men having perfected their spell, however when the first male slayer met an untimely demise only to rise again as a vampire the shadow demon inside of him had awakened from his slumber.  
Which takes us to now as the vessel known as Tristan Summers found himself battling against the literal demons inside of him, one wanting to consume him completely,

“Look I’m not saying I ever expected parenting to be easy because why should it when nothing is, but I at least expected it to be easier than slaying.” Buffy complained to Angel as the two of them walked through a New York cemetery late night.  
“To be fair Buffy you have been a slayer for a long time now that comes easier to you than most things.” Angel replied as they continued their former lover’s walk. “And searching for your son who is being haunted, potentially possessed sounds like typical slayer stuff to me.”  
“Trust me there is nothing typical about a slayer having children least of all a child who is almost the same age as them thanks to some time jumping nonsense courtesy of Willow.” Buffy replied, venting her frustration over her current situation. “It’s just Faith…she was the rogue slayer, the sleeps with your boyfriend slayer, the I murder people slayer and yet she is a million times better with him than me. They have a freaking bar together!”  
“They get on better because he doesn’t have to live in her shadow, she gets him and there’s no complicated biological ties, but she is not taking your place as his mother nor would Faith want to.” Angel explained to the slayer, eager to reassure her.  
“I know,” Buffy admitted with a reluctant sigh. “It is just so hard trying to get through to him you know, and I just want…to be honest I do not know what I want.”  
“You want him to be safe, happy and most of all happy with being with you, but things are never that simple especially when portals take your children.” Angel stated, having experienced that situation more than once. “You just got to take it all from them and hope one day they do not hate you, that’s parenting I guess.”  
“Your right which is incredibly annoying when I just want to be mad.” Buffy complained to him. “And what is with Spike suddenly hanging around New York ready to pounce on any problem Faith or Tristan may have?”  
“Now that I agree with.” Angel replied, happy to know he was not the only one unimpressed by Spike’s presence. “I swear Spike is Drusilla’s ultimate revenge against me for slaughtering her family when I had no soul and clearly, she’s won that one.”  
“I think Drusilla’s revenge for taking Spike and you off her as she sees it, was twisting up our child so much he’s basically more hers than ours!” Buffy admitted out loud, before realizing how harsh those words may have sounded.  
“Do not say that,” Angel demanded as the two stopped walking and he looked at the slayer with anger on his face. “Sure, he is a little messed up but who would not be after everything he has been through…he is not Drusilla’s kid Buffy he is ours!”  
“I know I’m sorry I did not mean that.” Buffy apologised. “Okay well maybe a little but it is just so hard being a mother to a child who last time you saw them tried to kill you.”  
“Welcome to the club Buffy,” Angel told her. “Tristan’s come a long way since then.”  
“Without anyone informing me about it.” Buffy butted in. “It sure would have been nice to hear about his improvement or heck even a damn note through the letter box saying hey your son’s not a full-blown psychopath anymore!”  
“It would’ve been nice to have known he existed before you and Willow threw him into a portal to the past.” Angel snapped back at her. “If you do not like how your son turned out maybe you should stop blaming it all on Drusilla and take some ownership to your actions.”  
Buffy believed splitting up with Angel while searching for their son would be easier than teaming up with Spike or Faith, but she quickly began regretting her decision after they exchanged heated words. She could not blame Angel for his resentment about Tristan, knowing she was in the wrong for keeping the truth from him and it would be a long time before those wounds would be fully healed.  
With Tristan missing, falling out with Angel and getting jealous over Faith this trip to New York for Buffy was so far nowhere near as bad as she had built it up being in her mind but then again for her the trouble would truly begin when she saw her son again.

Tristan Summers was no stranger to darkness having hunted slayers for years before coming face to face with former rogue slayer Faith Lehane but this new darkness he felt inside him was a stronger force than any he had known before. He could feel what was left of his sanity rapidly slipping away and this terrified him more than anything had ever done before as he feared completely losing control.  
“You and I both know the only reason you are fighting me is because fighting is all you have ever known.” The voice inside his mind told him as he walked down an alleyway with New York. “You are tired of all this; you have been tired a long time just hand over control and this will all end.”  
“You are not real!” Tristan screamed out loud, frantically pleading for the voices to stop.  
“You know I am real you have felt me wriggling around inside for a long time now and you finally got a taste of what I can do there is no going back now.” His inner voice argued with him. “This is your chance to shut it all off, to be free from the constant drag of humanity and to never have to feel anything again.”  
“What are you?” Tristan wondered, fearing the answer but needing to know at the same time.  
“I am genderless, I am older than this world or the one before it.” The inner voice revealed to Tristan. “I’ve been sleeping a sleepless slumber longer to be what I once was, and you were born to be my vessel.”  
“No, I was not born for you or anybody else to dictate what I am meant for!” Tristan argued with his inner demon. “Get out of my mind!”  
“There is no way out we are one and soon I will be you.” The shadow demon said from within Tristan’s body. “There is no fighting this Tristan!”  
The shadow demon was far from wrong all Tristan did was fight and it was that reason he wanted now more than ever to give into the demon, let him orchestrate his life and free him for the burden of having to feel.  
A year ago he would have done just that, given in without a moment’s thought but that was before he witnessed his own friend’s death, knowing she died because of his past mistakes made him sure now more than ever before that he had to do the right thing whatever that might be.

“I remember you.” Tristan proclaimed as he walked back into the bar, he shared with Faith to find Illyria stood there waiting for his return. “Are you real?”  
“It seems you have undergone many changes since we last met.” Illyria stated as she began slowly walking towards the demonic slayer. “You’re masked in the body of a bloodsucker, but I see much more than mere mortals can.”  
“The shadow demon,” Tristan replied to her, realizing she was the only one in the world old enough to have potentially come across the demon inside of him. “He’s…”  
“Inside of you yes, he’s inside of all slayers but more so you than any other.” Illyria revealed as she stopped walking and stood right next to Tristan. “He is old not as old as me but not far, you must be his vessel to this time, I am wearing mine.”  
“Will I…” Tristan began to say, before getting cut off by the goddess.  
“Die most certainly, Fred had more hold over her vessel than you do now, and she barely held on…” Illyria shared with him, not noticing the terror in his eyes, nor caring. “You have to die but you already know that don’t you?”  
“Yes, only this time it’s a permanent death.” Tristan admitted, “I cannot let me or something inside of me cause anymore evil.”  
“Angel had said you had changed but I…” Illyria began to say but before she could finish her sentence her hair began to change as she transitioned into Fred, a not so surprising shock for Tristan, knowing the goddess shared a body with the scientist.  
“You must be Fred I have only met the god version.” Tristan greeted her, wondering why Fred had fought through at this current time.  
“Illyria wants you dead and she tends to get what she wants you should leave before she gets her way right now!” Fred warned him, making it clear she did not want to hurt Angel’s son.  
“I cannot…I am just too tired.” Tristan replied to her, exhausted by his ordeal. “This thing has latched itself onto me and it is not letting go…I know that now.”  
“No, you do not understand, Illyria is not the kind of person for talking well she is not really a person at all.” Fred continued to warn him, fearing he was not getting the extent of how dangerous her goddess counterpart really was.  
“This thing inside of me is a greater evil than anything I’ve felt before and I’ve seen my fair share of evil.” Tristan explained to Fred, eager to make her understand his decision. “I need to die and if it is not by Illyria’s hands then I’ll have to do it myself.”  
“No, do not say that! I mean sure there is a demon inside you well two if you count the vampirism but that does not mean there’s hope.” Fred stated, attempting to reassure the demonic slayer. “When Illyria took me I did not think I’d ever have any control over my body and I’m still shocked to this day that we’re sharing the one body but yet I have so there is hope for you!”  
“Yeah that is cute and everything Fred, but this shadow thing wants to do something awful I can feel it and I cannot be responsible for anymore damage.” Tristan argued with her before Fred began transitioning back into Illyria.  
“Your father is a tolerable blood sucker for that I will make this quick.” Illyria promised him as she quickly grabbed a hold of his neck with both hands, applying more and more of her godlike strength onto the demonic slayer’s neck. “It will be over soon!”  
Tristan had given up in that moment ready to meet his demise at the hands of Illyria, better her than himself or worse, somebody who cared about him, not that there was many of them left. The shadow demon had to be gone before it took over him and after all the bad that Tristan had done, he was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice to make right some of his many wrongs.

“You are going to want to take your hands off my son because goddess or not I will kick your ass and before you get all goddess like on me just remember you are not my first god!” Buffy warned Illyria after walking into Rogue’s with Angel by her side to find the blue haired goddess choking the life out of Tristan.  
“You do not understand slayer!” Illyria replied while keeping her hands around Tristan’s neck, ready to snap his head off his shoulders at any given moment.  
“Let him go!” Angel shouted, only for Illyria to reluctantly let go off Tristan before once again transitioning back into Fred.  
“I did try warning him, but Illyria is tricky at the best of times.” Fred attempted to explain to Buffy and Angel, as Buffy rushed over to Tristan eager to check on her son.  
“What the hell did you do that for?” Tristan snapped at Buffy and Angel as he rose to his feet. “She was helping me…helping everyone.”  
“How exactly does killing you help anyone?” Buffy asked him, confused by her son’s revelation.  
“Because the shadow demon is gaining control over him and it wants to destroy the very thing created by it being captured.” Fred explained to them, making it clear she knew what Tristan did about his recent ordeal.  
“The shadow demon was captured by the shadow men to make slayers.” Buffy stated as she looked at her son with a look of shock in her eyes, realizing what Fred meant. “The shadow demon wants to kill all slayers.”  
“Yeah and if he hit me up over a year ago, I would’ve jumped straight on that bandwagon but call me crazy I have already killed one too many slayers.” Tristan admitted to Buffy, showing her how much her son had changed.   
“I thought you were being haunted? Instead your possessed…” Angel asked his son before going on to say. “It is okay we will find a way round this there is always a way around this.”  
“How did you keep your humanity after becoming a slayer? The first never did, why is it only taking over now?” Buffy wondered, struggling to come to terms with revelations.  
“I never had much humanity to begin with the demon probably thought it was a waste of time, in fact if Drusilla’s right the shadow demon’s soul is the reason I’m not a soulless vampire right now which says something.” Tristan answered his mother. “Which does not give me much belief I’d even stand a chance against this thing.”  
“The fact that you are willing to sacrifice yourself to stop this is proof you can beat it.” Angel told his son, eager to reassure him and talk him out of his suicidal mission.  
“Theoretically speaking I may have something of a solution, but it requires one powerful witch and potentially triggering all kinds of evil.” Fred admitted to them all.  
“We will do it!” Buffy chimed in, eagerly accepting on her son’s behalf.  
“Look guys it would be much easier if I…” Tristan began to say, before being interrupted by his father.  
“We will do it!” Angel interrupted his son, backing Buffy on her decision to do everything to save their child.  
Tristan was touched by the level of love he felt from his biological parents as he realized for the first time just how much they truly loved him which only served to make him feel worse for his past actions towards them as well as the danger he was putting everyone in by just continuing to be there.  
He argued with them for the first time like a son would argue with his parents but once his parents informed Faith and Spike and convinced Illyria to return to their side of the argument Tristan Summers had found himself truly outranked and outpowered against two vampires, two slayers and a goddess who were determined to save him from the shadow demon even if he was not willing to be saved.


	10. Volume 10 The Exorcism of Tristan Summers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the finale volume of "Tristan Tormented" Buffy and Angel gather those nearest and dearest to them as Willow begins the exorcism of their son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I do not own the rights to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off series Angel, its dark horse comics continuation series, or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon and others in the Buffyverse.  
> 15 years +, Mild to Strong Violence, Sexual References.  
> F/F, F/M, M/M, Other +

Dawn Summers had come a long way from her days of just being Buffy’s little sister, from briefly becoming a giant then a centaur to unlocking her hidden power as the key as she travelled through multiple dimensions with Xander Harris leading to a surprise romance for the two resulting in the two of them having a child together, a child they called Joyce in honor of her mother.   
Yes, Dawn had gone through a lot of changes since her Sunnydale days and was now mostly enjoying life as a loving mother to Joyce and a loving partner to Xander, mostly being the correct choice of word. Deep down she missed the excitement that came from being a part of the scooby gang and often envied her spouse Xander especially when he went on missions so when she heard of her nephew Tristan’s current dilemma she was first to offer up her services, any excuse to escape from adulthood   
Dawn had never actually met her nephew who was now somehow around about the same age as her and she was not particularly interested in meeting him in the past with the whole killing spree he was on putting her off but she had heard he had come along with since then and she knew her sister would need as much support as possible if things did not go to plan with saving Tristan from the shadow demon.  
“I do not get it your performing an exorcism on a demon possessed by a demon, that is complicated even for us.” Dawn stated as she stood in the Livingroom of Willow and Buffy’s apartment, standing next to Willow. “I get this is Buffy’s boy and trust me I’m the last to complain about Buffy going to extremes for people but even she has to know when to quite some time right?”  
“Wrong!” Willow replied to the slayer’s sister, “Tristan’s complicated especially where Buffy is concerned and yeah he’s technically a vampire which is a demon but I am going to be aiming for the shadow demon the entire exorcism, I think.”  
“You think?” Dawn asked, noticing Willow’s uncertainty.  
“It has not been done before but hey when has that ever stopped me.” Willow admitted before going on to say. “And if I mess this up Tristan could wind up permanently dead and I’ve just let loose one hell of a demon.”  
“I hate to say it but at this point would it not just be safer for everyone involved to just kill him and get it over with.” Dawn reluctantly suggested. “I want to be a great aunt and everything but I am a mum first and I’d hate to think how worse of the world I am raising my daughter in will be if the thing strong enough to harness slayer strength returns.”  
“I am down for redeeming folk as much as the other girl I mean I do not even want to think where I’d be without people helping me at my worst but I got to say I am kind of on your side here Dawnie.” Willow revealed, making it clear she was more for Dawn’s suggestion than Buffy’s. “However, this is Buffy’s child and I already made her lose him once…if she loses him again then I got to know I’ve done everything within my power to stop it.”

“Please remind me why on earth we had to come all the way to San Francisco with a hostile Tristan instead of just getting Willow to come to us?” Fred asked Buffy as the two stood on a hill looking over to give a view of the iconic Golden Gate bridge. “It just seems to me like things would have been easier in New York.”  
“I do not think anything about this is going to be easy!” Buffy replied to her with a sense of dread in her voice. “I remember coming here when I first learned I was pregnant and all these thoughts about how I could never keep my child safe flooded my head…I guess I should’ve taken note then.”  
“The shadow demon was trapped by the shadow men and no offense to them, but they have nothing on all of us.” Fred boasted to reassure the slayer that things would work out perfectly, despite not entire believing it for herself. “All we have to do is get Willow to perform the right exorcism on the right demon and we can take it from there.”  
“And then we have a soulless Tristan which I guess is the best result we are looking at here. I mean the soul is the shadow demon’s not his so if everything goes to plan my son will be evil and trying to kill me again which is supposed to be better than expelling both demons and we kill Tristan in the process.” Buffy said, admitting her fears before Fred began transforming back into her goddess Illyria form.  
“I must admit an exorcism is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard off and by far the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard my somewhat intelligent vessel say before.” Illyria revealed to the slayer. “Take comfort in knowing that if it comes to the point of putting your child vampire down, I will oblige without hesitation.”  
“Weirdly enough not having to kill my own son is the only thing comforting I’ve heard in a long time.” Buffy honestly admitted to the goddess, weirdly comforted knowing if it came to it, she would not have to be the one to kill Tristan.

“Well if it is not mini B long time no see!” Faith greeted Dawn after Dawn walked into an abandoned warehouse within San Francisco. “Wish it were on better circumstances but then again these seem to be the only circumstances we all meet under.”  
“Must we live up every single horror trope I mean an exorcism and now we’re meeting in an abandoned warehouse the only thing more ironic would be if we had a priest coming to join the party too.” Dawn replied to the brown-haired slayer.  
“Here at least priests have more knowledge on exorcisms than Willow but saying that she had more knowledge on demons than any witch I have ever know.” Faith responded, making it clear she was far from confident about the upcoming exorcism.  
“Whose idea was this again?” Dawn wondered. “I feel like we do not even consider just killing the evil anymore.”  
“Tristan is not evil; he’s well he’s complicated like you and me.” Faith snapped back at Buffy’s mystical sister.  
“How the hell is he like me? Last time I checked my kill count was zero.” Dawn answered back, confused by Faith’s comparison.  
“Well I was the slayer who did not feel like she belonged and it led me down a murderous path and you’re the key who felt she did not wrong and sure you’ve never actually down anything wrong except for the whole being a key to a hell dimension which led to B having to sacrifice herself to save you.” Faith replied frankly and honestly. “I am not saying any of that was on you or that Tristan is innocent of all his crimes but he is sure trying to make up for his past and if your sister can sacrifice herself for you surely you can resist killing her nephew for a little while until there is no other option.”  
“You know you make a lot more sense when you’re not psychotically murdering a bunch of folks.” Dawn admitted, realizing that maybe just maybe she had been judging her nephew a little too harshly.  
“You know I have been hearing that a lot lately.” Faith responded with a soft laugh.

“Things sure would be a lot easier if you guys just faced the facts and dusted my sorry ass!” Tristan stated as he, Spike and Angel walked through the underground sewer tunnels underneath San Francisco City.  
“I do not think I have ever met a vampire with more of a death wish.” Spike claimed, before realizing. “Well except for me when I first got my chip.”  
“We are not killing you Tristan not when we can get this demon out of you.” Angel promised his son as the three vampires continued their walk through the tunnels.  
“Which demon?” Tristan asked sarcastically. “The slayer demon or the vampire demon because one is keeping me with a soul but wants to kill all slayers and the other has no soul and wants to kill everyone.”  
“Hey, I am just as confused as you kid, I for one think killing you would be a lot easier than getting Willow to play exorcist.” Spike answered the demonic slayer.  
“I have an idea Spike, why don’t we dump the demon in you and then we kill you and the shadow demon in one go.” Angel snapped at the peroxide blonde haired vampire.  
“If that is what is going to happen then I am totally down with killing captain peroxide.” Tristan chimed in, not sure if he was joking or not.  
“I think I liked you better when you were mini Dru because this mini Angel thing you got going is truly terrifying!” Spike told Tristan, clearly not amused with Tristan or Angel.

Willow Rosenberg knew the exorcism she was about to perform was one hell of a long shot, the likelihood of being able to get one demon out while keeping another was beyond ludicrous to her, an idea she was not surprised to having never heard of being done before because you tend to only get possessed once at a time or so that is what she thought until now.  
The red headed witch had done the impossible before, in fact many times before and if anyone was going to be successful at this particular exorcism it would be Willow, however, even if all things did go to plan she would then have to try and magically restore a soul for Tristan Summers which would require even more of her power.  
She knew the chances of Tristan surviving the exorcism were very slim but she also knew his mother Buffy, her best friend, would never forgive herself if everything within the realm of possibility was not done to save her son even if in truth nobody truly believed this exorcism would work out for the best but then again nothing ever did.  
“I am just saying if we leave him like this for the rest of eternity then that would be just fine.” Spike claimed as he tightened the cuffs that were tying Tristan down to a table placed within the middle of the abandoned warehouse, while Buffy, Angel, Faith, Dawn, Fred and Willow stood around the table all looking equally terrified.  
“Spike if you could stay shut up until this was all over, I think we would all highly appreciate it!” Buffy snapped at her former lover, as she looked down at her vampire son strapped to a table, a sight she had wished she would never have to witness.  
“I am trying really hard to say something soothing or even remotely confident, but I am not going to lie I am as freaked out as everybody else here!” Willow admitted to them all. “Well, here goes nothing I guess.”  
Buffy nodded to her redheaded best friend and with just one look Willow knew the blonde haired slayer had put all her trust into her, no pressure on the witch at all of course as she stepped forward getting closer towards a tied down Tristan and began chanting in an unknown language forcing herself to chant louder and louder as she heard Tristan’s muffled groans of pain caused by the exorcism she was now performing.  
“Be brave buddy!” Faith mumbled to herself, aiming her words towards Tristan as he began shaking viciously due to the exorcism spell Willow was still chanting in an unrecognizable language. “Be brave!”

The exorcism of Tristan Summers lasted a long time, nobody really knows how long exactly except for them all feeling like it lasted forever as Tristan’s body convulsed in shapes unknown to man as his face kept changing from it’s human form to it’s vampire form repeatedly, the mask of tape around his mouth having worn off early on leaving them all forced to endure Tristan’s screams of pain as Faith and Spike held him down while Willow continued to chant in a long forgotten language.  
Buffy and Angel held each other’s hand as they look on in terror, partly to support the other but mostly to restrain each other from stopping the exorcism as they were forced to watch their son being magically tortured by Willow, knowing what she was doing was Tristan’s only chance of survival.  
Suddenly a clearly drained Willow stopped chanting after noticing Tristan’s human face had changed once again but this time only his eyes, having changed from their normal color to pure jet black.  
“You cannot stop me witch,” A sinister voice coming from Tristan’s body announced. “If anything, you’re just torturing the vessel and I’m getting bored.”  
Faith and Spike’s hold on Tristan was compromised when they found themselves being thrown across the room by some invisible force crashing harshly onto the ground before Buffy, Angel, Fred, Dawn and Willow found themselves being thrown back to the ground too as the possessed Tristan began cackling manically.  
As the gang began slowly rising back onto their feet, they noticed the straps restraining Tristan to the table began undoing themselves and before any of them could get back on their feet a dark eyed Tristan was now fully on his.  
“I am going to enjoy killing you all!” The clearly possessed Tristan claimed as Fred quickly began turning into Illyria.  
“I am sorry slayer, I really am.” Illyria told Buffy before snatching a stake out of Faith’s jacket with force.  
Illyria wasted no time in charging towards the possessed vampire and plunging the stolen wooden stake into his chest ignoring Buffy and Angel’s screams of protest in the progress only to be met by a sinister smirk from Tristan before he exploded into dust. However, unlike most vampires turning to dust there was a whole lot more to Tristan’s death as a black smoke like fog escaped from the ashes before quickly levitating itself further and further into the sky and disappearing out of sight.  
Buffy, Angel, Faith, Dawn and Willow just stood there in silence, completely defeated by what they had just witnessed despite all of them believing it would end exactly like this or for some of them, believing it was going to end worse than this and then the goddess turned around to tell them something that made all of this seem like for nothing.  
“I fear that the shadow demon is now loose in this world,” Illyria admitted, looking far from pleased with herself. “I think I was fooled by it…that we were all fooled into releasing it.”


End file.
